Hartford Business Journal

16 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JULY 27, 2026 ExperienceMINT's AI-backed "magic mirror" allows shoppers to virtually try on clothing and compare styles before making a purchase. Contributed Image Interactive Future customers who have opted into retailer loyalty programs, it can recommend complementary products based on previous purchases. Pierce said the system analyzes shoppers in real time but does not store customer images. "We don't record anything," he said. "That's No. 1 on any level." Retailers subscribe to the service, which includes the hardware, software, installation and technical support needed to operate the system. Its target customers are retailers selling premium products — brands that value customer experience and typically operate multiple stores, Pierce said. Current clients include B&H Photo Video, Cadillac, Vera Wang and NECOA, which sells water-purification systems. For NECOA's first U.S. showroom, ExperienceMINT developed an inter- active kiosk that helps shoppers learn about and compare the company's products. NECOA co-CEO Kevin Shim said ExperienceMINT's Product Wizard has become an important sales tool. "The customers love the experience and ability to see all the products we offer, and the sales associates use it to deliver the best presentation with each customer," Shim said. Tim Phelan, president of the Connecticut Retail Network, an asso- ciation that advocates for the state's retail industry, said retailers are still grappling with finding ways to utilize AI to improve the shopping experience in brick-and-mortar stores. Phelan said that while large national retailers with many locations are already experimenting with the technology, smaller retailers still struggle with it. "They're definitely exploring it," he said. Retail focus Pierce, 61, has spent much of his career developing technology for retailers, including digital signage. He previously founded New Hamp- shire-based New Retail, which created interactive in-store experiences. ELEVATE, Pierce said, reflects decades of development, with artificial intelligence helping bring together capabilities that had matured over many years into a single platform. Today, ExperienceMINT employs about 50 people, including software developers in Poland, Belarus and Ukraine. Its Rocky Hill headquarters houses roughly a dozen employees working in development labs and execu- tive offices. The company also has oper- ations in the Boston area and Atlanta. ExperienceMINT generated more than $20 million in revenue last year after recovering from a pandemic-era downturn, when COVID-19 sharply reduced foot traffic to physical stores, Pierce said. Retail remains the company's primary focus, but Pierce also sees opportunities beyond stores. Expe- rienceMINT's interactive technology has been deployed in museums, campgrounds, county facilities and healthcare settings, including Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford. "We wanted to zoom in on retail and have a specific offering for a specific audience, and not be trying to be every- thing for everybody," Pierce said. Rocky Hill retail-tech company bets AI can reinvent in-store shopping By David Krechevsky davidk@hartfordbusiness.com A s online shopping has reshaped retail, brick-and- mortar stores face a growing challenge: giving consumers a reason to walk through the door. Rocky Hill-based retail technology company ExperienceMINT is betting artificial intelligence can help. The company recently introduced ELEVATE, an AI-backed platform designed to bring the personalization and customer insights common in e-commerce to brick-and-mortar stores. It combines interactive product displays, virtual visualization, AI voice assistants and customer analytics to help retailers create more engaging shopping experiences while gathering in-store data they have traditionally lacked. "Our goal is to, No. 1, create a reason for the consumer to want to go to a retail store," ExperienceMINT CEO Andrew Pierce said during a recent interview with Hartford Business Journal. "It usually has something to do with the senses. 'I want to touch something. I want to smell something. I want to taste it. I want to feel it. I want to see it.'" Pierce said ExperienceMINT, which also operates under the legal name Mint Collaborative, is confident enough in the technology to back it with an ROI guarantee. "If you're spending $500 a month on our platform to have this in your store, and we don't generate at least $500 ROI compared to the same time period last year, we'll pay the difference," he said. "We'll refund you." Pierce said the guarantee is based on published research and case studies involving retailers including Sephora, Nike, L'Oréal and Warby Parker that suggest interactive digital it surveyed worldwide expect to use AI for that purpose within the next year. Pierce believes ExperienceMINT is well positioned to benefit from that shift. He projects the company's annual revenue will more than double to $50 million within five years and expects its 50-person workforce to at least double as demand grows for customer support, project manage- ment and software development roles. 'Magic mirrors' ELEVATE combines several AI-backed tools designed to make shopping in physical stores more inter- active and personalized, Pierce said. The Product Wizard is a touchscreen that allows shoppers to compare products, browse specifications, colors and sizes, and narrow their choices much as they would online. AI-backed "magic mirrors" allow customers to visualize products on themselves before purchasing, while AI voice agents answer questions when sales associates are unavailable. Pierce said the technology can also recognize when someone approaches a display, estimate a shopper's age and gender, and tailor product recom- mendations accordingly. For returning AT A GLANCE ExperienceMINT (MINT Collaborative) Industry: Retail Technology Top Executive: Andrew Pierce, CEO CT HQ: 2049 Silas Deane Highway, Rocky Hill 2025 Operating Revenue: $20 million Employees: 50 shopping experiences can increase customer engagement, boost sales and reduce product returns. Those findings align with a broader trend of retailers embracing artificial intelligence to personalize the shopping experience. Deloitte's 2026 Global Retail Industry Outlook found that about two-thirds of the 330 retail executives ExperienceMINT's AI-backed Product Wizard lets shoppers compare products, browse specifications and explore options through an interactive touchscreen. Contributed Image

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