About

Purchs is an Ontario-based company developing AI-enabled B2B ordering and replenishment management platform built for food retailers, consumer packaged goods vendors, distributors and manufacturers. The Purchs’ platform was launched by FreshSpoke in 2024, and helps manage wholesale purchasing and supplier coordination more efficiently, streamlining the ordering process and preventing stockouts.  Purchs’ platform allows retailers to manage wholesale ordering across multiple suppliers through a single platform. Retailers can place orders through the platform or through text message using Purcy, Purchs’ conversational AI ordering assistant. Purcy enables retailers to submit orders in plain language through text messaging, which Purchs converts into structured purchase orders and routes through the appropriate vendor workflow.

Project

Through this Development and Commercialization supported project, Purchs will  build a retailer-facing AI order prediction prototype inside Purchs’ existing ordering environment. The prototype will use available ordering data and practical food-sector inputs, including product order history, vendor lead times, order frequency, seasonality, weather, traffic flow and buyer feedback, to generate product order recommendations for retailer review with the goal of reducing manual decision-making and creating a foundation for future predictive replenishment.  The company will work with the CMIT TDS to validate workflows and receive sector-specific feedback for the platform.

Impact  

The proposed project will result in a validated retailer-facing AI order prediction prototype integrated within Purchs’ existing B2B ordering platform. The prototype will demonstrate how artificial intelligence can be used to help independent and mid-size chain retailers identify products that may require replenishment before stockouts occur, using a combination of internal ordering data, vendor constraints and external demand signals.  Purchs plans to create two new full-time positions during project execution and up to 12 full-time positions within three years of commercialization.