Shoplazza Awards Mark Fourth Year as Merchants Shift Toward AI-Driven, Sustainable Growth, Spotlighted on the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square

NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Shoplazza recently announced the winners of the 2025 Shoplazza Awards at Times Square in New York City, marking the program's fourth year. In partnership with PR Newswire, the campaign communication partner, the annual recognition honors merchants and ecosystem partners for building distinctive brands and resilient operations that support long-term growth across markets.

Beyond performance outcomes, the awards also recognize a shift in how leading merchants operate. As online stores become central to day-to-day business activity, this year's recipients stand out for investing earlier in site optimization, localization, and customer relationships, moving from isolated improvements to integrated infrastructure.

Merchant Award Winners Demonstrate Scalable Online Store Growth

Supported by Shoplazza's global commerce platform capabilities, including flexible page building, multi-site management, localized payments, global logistics integrations, and data-driven operations, the 2025 merchant award recipients show how coordinated commerce capabilities are applied in real-world, multi-market environments.

This year's recipients span consumer electronics, smart mobility, fashion and lifestyle, baby and home, and premium materials. While operating at different stages of global expansion, they share a common approach: using a unified commerce system to scale bold products and reinforce clear brand positioning without increasing operational complexity.

In technology and hardware categories, this year's winners demonstrated how global expansion is shifting from supply-driven exports to brand-led execution.

• GMKtec operates in the Mini PC and AI supercomputing segment. Founded in 2019, the company has expanded into more than 70 countries, establishing a scalable global footprint supported by consistent direct-to-consumer operations.
• SAFNIX focuses on modular portable power solutions. Evolving from a manufacturing-led business, the brand has successfully entered the North American market by pairing product engineering with localized commerce execution.

In fashion, lifestyle, and mobility categories, recognized merchants highlighted how brand differentiation increasingly depends on direct customer relationships and execution depth.

• ICOICE is a global colored contact lens brand and a two-time Shoplazza Awards recipient. By aligning fast-fashion responsiveness with a direct-to-consumer operating model, ICOICE continues to expand internationally while maintaining strong repeat purchase performance.
• KuKirin competes in the high-ticket e-bike category. Built on a highly responsive supply chain, the brand uses direct commerce supported by integrated payments and logistics to operate effectively in a fulfillment-intensive market.

In specialized, emotionally driven segments, long-term product investment and trust-building proved central to scalability.

• Babeside operates in the reborn doll category, a niche segment with high barriers to entry. Through proprietary product development and disciplined brand execution, the company has built a trusted customer base across international markets.
• Real Silk Life focuses on premium lifestyle products made from high-quality natural materials. Emphasizing material integrity, craftsmanship, and long-term comfort, the brand has developed a recognizable positioning while expanding its presence in global markets.

Partner Awards Spotlight the Systems Behind Reliable Growth

The Shoplazza Awards also recognize ecosystem partners whose capabilities support execution across marketing, payments, and logistics, functions that increasingly determine conversion, retention, and operational stability in global commerce.

In marketing and user growth, partners are helping brands move beyond traffic acquisition toward sustainable customer relationships. MambaSMS focuses on lifecycle communication through high-deliverability messaging and automated engagement. TidalFlow connects content-driven platforms such as TikTok with commerce operations, translating attention into repeatable growth. TuopuTech brings a data-led approach, helping merchants optimize site experience, user behavior, and advertising efficiency.

In payments, partners address one of the most critical points in eCommerce: transaction reliability and trust. Checkout.com supports high-volume, multi-market operations with enterprise-grade acquiring capabilities. PayPal contributes global consumer trust and broad market coverage, reducing friction at checkout. WINTOPAY complements this layer with multi-channel acquiring and tiered risk management, helping merchants balance growth with security.

In logistics and fulfillment, partners are working to make global delivery more predictable and scalable. Cainiao provides end-to-end global logistics infrastructure, integrating international transport with last-mile delivery. ShipSaving emphasizes automation and cost efficiency, simplifying shipping workflows for merchants. YunExpress adds deep global delivery expertise, supporting merchants at different stages of international expansion.

AI Innovator Awards Highlight Commercialized AI Adoption

As artificial intelligence moves from exploratory use cases into core business operations, the 2025 Shoplazza Awards introduced the AI Innovator category to recognize organizations embedding AI into revenue-critical workflows with measurable outcomes.

• Sandwich Lab operates in AI-driven content and marketing. By combining generative capabilities with clear commercialization paths, the company has translated AI technology into scalable global revenue.
• Stripe develops global payment infrastructure and API platforms. Its continued integration of AI across payments, billing, and risk management supports high-volume commerce operations and platform-scale business models.
• Subotiz focuses on AI-driven subscription and payment infrastructure for AI SaaS and digital businesses. Through its Merchant of Record model systems, Subotiz supports more predictable revenue operations across global markets.

A Four-Year Record of Execution-First Growth

Over four years, the Shoplazza Awards have documented an evolution in global commerce priorities, from growth experimentation to execution certainty, from isolated tools to integrated systems, and from short-term scale to durable operating capability.

"Across four years, the Shoplazza Awards have become less about recognition and more about record," said Jeff Li, Founder and CEO of Shoplazza. "They capture how merchants are adapting to structural change and building systems that can support long-term, AI-enabled growth."

By continuing to invest in platform reliability, AI-enabled workflows, and ecosystem collaboration, Shoplazza aims to lower the operational barriers to global commerce and support merchants building resilient, long-term businesses.

About Shoplazza

Shoplazza is a leading Canadian AI commerce platform that enables global businesses to build, launch, and scale their online stores. Built on an agentic commerce framework, Shoplazza applies AI agents across end-to-end commerce workflows to streamline execution and support sustainable growth across online, in-store, and social channels. Learn more at https://www.shoplazza.com/.

SOURCE Shoplazza