This week, retail intelligence platform Digital Folio introduced Universal Connector Technology, an algorithm that allows the company to track nearly any product sold in any online store without delay.
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“Retail has become real-time with retail platforms having the ability to change prices every six seconds and based on an number of factors,” says Patrick Carter, Digital Folio founder and president. “We’ve seen a major retailer change price on a single SKU seven times in four hours and others change the price displayed based on the type of browser the shopper is using.”

Founded in 2011, Carter bootstrapped the company until recently taking on a couple of individual investors in the retail and data industries.

According to Carter, the 10-employee company has the only platform equipped to instantaneously track these changes and give both retailers and shoppers the information they need to quickly adapt to a shifting marketplace. He believes this data and analysis can help retailers make real-time decisions when it comes to marketing, pricing and strategy.

Clients can access data that tracks 10,000 products per second, as well as Digital Folio’s 5 billion archived data points, directly through the Web. Carter describes this access as “the first self-serve retail API for retail price changes.” By partnering with Microsoft, Digital Folio’s data is now accessible via the Windows Azure DataMarket, a sort of “app store” for data.

Carter says Digital Folio offers unparalleled data that can be drilled down to the zipcode level. By offering this sort of instant visibility into retail changes as they occur, businesses and shoppers can use Digital Folio’s tools to better inform their personal and strategic retail decisions.

Visit Digital Folio’s website, check out their BID profile, and follow them on Twitter @DigitalFolio.