Sears Israel

Sears Israel was the Israeli operation associated with Sears Holdings Corporation and the successor to Delver, an Israeli social-search startup founded in 2007. Delver originally developed a search engine that ranked results according to the relationship between a user and the people, communities, and online contributions connected to the target material. Its approach combined conventional indexing with social-graph signals, allowing users to discover blogs, photographs, videos, web pages, articles, reviews, and other content through the lens of their own online network. The Delver concept was presented at the DEMO'08 technology conference, and an initial public version of the service was launched on July 15, 2008. In November 2008, the company announced an integration with Yahoo!'s BOSS search framework. Before its acquisition, Delver Communications was privately held and backed by Carmel Ventures. The startup was acquired by Sears Holdings Corporation in March 2009. Following the transaction, it was renamed Sears Holdings Corporation Israel, commonly abbreviated S.H.C. Israel, and operated from Herzliya. After the acquisition, the Israeli unit worked on two principal projects. The first was the continued development of Delver.com. Under Sears ownership, the service was repositioned as a social-commerce platform rather than solely a social-search engine. It was designed to help users discover products through their personal networks and an open platform. Features described for the service included product comments, reviews, questions, personal catalogs, catalog following, polls, the ability to add purchasable products from other websites, and shopping-cart functionality. Delver.com was also made available through Apple's App Store on March 25, 2010. The second project was SPLAT, a social platform embedded in Sears' website. SPLAT adapted functions associated with Delver for use within Sears' online retail environment, with additional changes intended to fit the requirements of Sears' website. This positioned Sears Israel as a technology and digital-commerce operation within the wider Sears organization rather than simply as a conventional retail branch or store network. The available reference material does not establish the unit's later ownership, operating status, leadership, financial performance, or the precise disposition of Delver.com and SPLAT. It therefore should be understood primarily as a historical account of an Israeli Sears Holdings technology and e-commerce operation, with current status requiring verification from additional sources.

Sears Israel originated not as a traditional department-store operation but as Delver Communications, an Israeli technology startup founded in 2007 by Liad Agmon, Avital Yachin, and Sagie Davidovitch. The company initially pursued social search: instead of ranking online material only through general popularity or conventional relevance signals, Delver sought to incorporate a user's social graph and the relationship between the searcher and the people or communities associated with a document. The resulting service could surface blogs, photographs, videos, web pages, articles, reviews, and related online contributions in a more personalized way. Delver's concept was introduced publicly at DEMO'08. An initial public version followed on July 15, 2008. Later that year, in November, Delver announced that it would integrate with Yahoo!'s BOSS search framework. During this early period the company was privately held and backed by Carmel Ventures. The startup's technology and social-discovery orientation attracted the interest of Sears Holdings Corporation, which announced its acquisition of Delver in March 2009. After the acquisition, the Israeli business was renamed Sears Holdings Corporation Israel, or S.H.C. Israel. It continued to operate from Herzliya and became associated with Sears' efforts to develop digital commerce and social functionality. The unit focused on two main projects: Delver.com and SPLAT. The former was relaunched with a broader social-commerce purpose. Rather than limiting the platform to web search, the revised service was intended to help users find and evaluate products through their own networks and through an open product-oriented community. The social-commerce version of Delver.com included a range of participatory functions. Users could comment on products, publish reviews and questions, create personal catalogs, follow other users' catalogs, run or participate in polls, and add products from external websites when those products were available for purchase. The platform also incorporated shopping-cart functionality, connecting community discovery with an online purchasing workflow. Delver.com reached Apple's App Store on March 25, 2010, marking a mobile extension of the service. SPLAT represented the second major post-acquisition initiative. It was described as a social platform embedded in Sears' website. SPLAT brought functions associated with Delver into Sears' own online retail environment, while adding modifications designed for the retailer's website and business requirements. Through this work, Sears Israel functioned as a digital product and engineering operation supporting social retail experimentation inside the Sears organization. The supplied reference material does not document a complete later history. It does not establish whether Sears Israel remains active, when Delver.com or SPLAT ceased operation, whether the entity changed ownership after the restructuring of Sears Holdings, or which executives led it over time. Accordingly, its documented history is strongest for the 2007–2010 startup, acquisition, and product-development period.

• 2010

  Delver.com reaches the App Store

  [1]Sears Israelen.wikipedia.org

  Delver.com was introduced in Apple's App Store on March 25.

• 2009

  Sears Holdings acquires Delver

  [1]Sears Israelen.wikipedia.org

  Sears Holdings Corporation acquired Delver in March, after which the business became Sears Holdings Corporation Israel or S.H.C. Israel.

• 2008

  Delver is introduced at DEMO'08

  [1]Sears Israelen.wikipedia.org

  The company's social-search concept was presented at the DEMO'08 technology conference.

• 2008

  Initial public version launches

  [1]Sears Israelen.wikipedia.org

  An initial public version of Delver was launched on July 15.

• 2008

  Yahoo! BOSS integration announced

  [1]Sears Israelen.wikipedia.org

  Delver announced integration with Yahoo!'s BOSS search framework in November.

• 2007

  Delver Communications is founded

  [1]Sears Israelen.wikipedia.org

  Liad Agmon, Avital Yachin, and Sagie Davidovitch founded Delver Communications in Israel to develop social-search technology.

A technology-led social-commerce and online retail enablement operation serving Sears' digital ecosystem, built around network-informed product discovery, user-generated content, and community interaction.

• Social commerce and product discovery platform · 2008

  Delver.com

  Delver began as a social-search engine that used a user's network and online community relationships to prioritize search results. Following Sears' acquisition, it was relaunched as a social-commerce service focused on product discovery and community participation. Its described capabilities included comments, reviews, product questions, personal catalogs, catalog following, polls, external product additions, and shopping-cart functionality. The service was also distributed through Apple's App Store.

• Embedded retail social platform

  SPLAT

  SPLAT was a social platform embedded in Sears' website. It adapted Delver-related social and community functions for Sears' online retail environment and incorporated additional modifications intended to suit the retailer's site. The available material describes it as one of S.H.C. Israel's two principal projects after the Delver acquisition.

• 2009

  Acquire Delver and establish the Sears Israel operationM&A

  Background

  Sears Holdings acquired Delver Communications, an Israeli startup specializing in social search and personalized online discovery.

  Action taken

  The acquired business was renamed Sears Holdings Corporation Israel, or S.H.C. Israel, and was assigned work on Delver.com and SPLAT.

  Aftermath

  The operation shifted from an independent social-search startup toward technology development for social commerce and Sears' online retail ecosystem.

  Source

• Reposition Delver.com from social search to social commerceStrategy

  Background

  After the acquisition, Sears sought to apply Delver's network-based discovery capabilities to product finding and online shopping.

  Action taken

  Delver.com was relaunched with product reviews, questions, catalogs, social following, polls, external product additions, and shopping-cart functionality.

  Aftermath

  The service became a social-commerce proposition linking community interaction with product discovery and purchasing.

  Source

• Develop SPLAT for Sears' websiteProduct launch

  Background

  Sears required a social layer that could operate within its own online retail environment.

  Action taken

  S.H.C. Israel developed SPLAT as an embedded platform incorporating Delver-related social capabilities with Sears-specific modifications.

  Aftermath

  SPLAT extended the Israeli unit's role from standalone product development to digital enablement for Sears' e-commerce site.

  Source

• 2010

  Delver.com launches on Apple's App Store[1]Sears Israelen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The Delver.com service was introduced in Apple's App Store on March 25, extending the social-commerce product to a mobile distribution channel.

• 2009

  Sears Holdings acquires Delver[1]Sears Israelen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Sears Holdings Corporation acquired Delver Communications, the Israeli social-search startup, and subsequently renamed the operation Sears Holdings Corporation Israel or S.H.C. Israel.

• Delver.com becomes a social-commerce platform[1]Sears Israelen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Following the acquisition, Delver.com was relaunched with product discovery and community functions such as reviews, questions, catalogs, polls, product sharing, and shopping-cart capabilities.

1. 1Sears Israelen.wikipedia.org