Retail tech firm Pointy set to double workforce to 50

Firm gives small retailers a way to make their stock visible online

Mark Cummins and Charles Bibby, cofounders of Pointy
Mark Cummins and Charles Bibby, cofounders of Pointy

Irish retail tech firm Pointy is to double its workforce to 50 by the end of the year as it targets overseas expansion.

The company, which was founded by Mark Cummins and Charles Bibby, will add around 25 new jobs at its Dublin office, recruiting for engineering, marketing, sales, customer support, product design and graphic design roles.

“We’re 25 people at the moment. We intend to double it, maybe even more over time, but we’ll certainly double it this year. I think that’s realistic,” said Mr Cummins. “We’re growing quite rapidly.”

Pointy gives small retailers a way to make their stock visible online without having to invest in a full ecommerce system. The app directs shoppers to where particular items are available locally.

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Retailers connect the “Pointy box” into the shop’s barcode scanner and then use their scanner as normal. The device is pre-paired with Pointy’s website. Once the retailer starts using the scanner, the system uses algorithims and machine learning to estimate stock levels.

Founded in 2014, Pointy has just moved into new offices on Amiens Street in Dublin.

The firm says that thousands of retailers are now using the service across Ireland, the US, Canada and the UK, although it will not give exact customer numbers. However, Mr Cummins said about 15 per cent of all retailers in Dublin were now using its service.

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist