DotActiv
DotActiv provides AI-powered category management software and services to 2,000+ retailers and CPG suppliers worldwide, spanning planogram automation (Nova), an LLM assistant (Lola), image-recognition compliance (TrueView), and tiered software licenses plus consulting services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersGauteng, South Africa
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What DotActiv does
DotActiv (Pty) Ltd is a South Africa-headquartered software company that provides category management software and professional services to retailers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) suppliers worldwide. Its core offering is a unified category management platform covering planogram automation, assortment planning, store clustering, floor planning, retail analytics, and a Unified Data Engine for two-way database integration. The company reports being trusted by 2,000+ retailers globally with 500+ internal consultants running real category environments on the platform, and its customer base spans grocery (Pick n Pay, SPAR, Food Lovers Market), pharmacy (Dis-Chem), beverages (Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa, Heineken, Red Bull South Africa, Diageo), personal care (Colgate-Palmolive, Revlon), healthcare (Johnson & Johnson), food (Mondelez, McCain, Danone, Lindt), and tobacco (Philip Morris International).
The platform architecture pairs traditional space-planning modules (Assortment Planning, Clustering, Floor Planning, Retail Analytics, DotActiv Viewer for approvals) with a 2024-vintage AI layer consisting of Nova (generative AI planogram creation with a model-agnostic engine), Lola (LLM-based category management assistant that translates natural-language questions into SQL queries), and TrueView (computer-vision planogram compliance verification from in-store shelf photos). Activ8 extends the stack into store-side execution (planogram communication, task and project management, field marketing, time and attendance) with web and mobile (Android/iOS) delivery, while PowerBase and DotActiv Academy provide an exclusive knowledge library and a six-level certification program. The product is built on a Microsoft Windows desktop application with tiered packaging.
DotActiv generates revenue through three streams: tiered annual software licenses (Free, Lite at $800, Pro at $2,000, Enterprise at $4,500, and Enterprise AI at $7,500 per license per year), professional services delivered by in-house planogram consultants and category management teams, and Activ8 subscriptions. Go-to-market is a hybrid model combining sales-led enterprise motion (personalized demos, advisory consulting, formal business cases) with a self-serve PLG motion via the online store (shop.dotactiv.com) and freemium DotActiv Free tier, plus a partner/reseller channel for third-party service providers. The company is private, has 101–250 employees, and operates without disclosed external funding.
DotActiv firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DotActiv
- Legal name
- DotActiv (Pty) Ltd
- Website
- https://dotactiv.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- DotActiv provides AI-powered category management software and services to 2,000+ retailers and CPG suppliers worldwide, spanning planogram automation (Nova), an LLM assistant (Lola), image-recognition compliance (TrueView), and tiered software licenses plus consulting services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DotActiv industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Retail Category Management Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (51321)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Generative AI & LLM Solutions Services (RAG, Agents, Copilots) (BPAEAHAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Enterprise Reporting & Pixel-Perfect Reporting (HDAEAMAB)
Keywords
Where DotActiv is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gauteng
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
DotActiv business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software Licenses: Annual subscription licenses for DotActiv software with five tiers: Free, Lite ($800/year), Pro ($2,000/year), Enterprise ($4,500/year), and Enterprise AI ($7,500/year). Each tier offers different feature sets and SKU limits.
- Professional Services: Category management services including planogram development, cluster optimization, assortment planning, floor space optimization, data analysis, retail advisory, database management, and data processing. Delivered by dedicated planning teams with technical and industry expertise.
- Planogram Development Services: Data-driven and performance-enhancing planograms delivered by skilled consultants using DotActiv's methodology and software. Includes access to talented people, technical expertise, and proprietary processes.
- Activ8 Subscriptions: Team management software with free trial for 20 users for one month, then paid subscriptions for additional users. Includes planogram compliance, task management, project management, and field marketing features.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Free plan for evaluation and micro-retailers with limited functionality |
| Subscription | Annual | Lite plan for independent retailers and beginners |
| Subscription | Annual | Pro plan for category professionals and suppliers |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise plan for retail teams and floor planners |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise AI plan for retail HQ and high-volume operations |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
DotActiv product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DotActiv provides AI-powered category management software and professional services for retailers and suppliers to plan, analyse, and execute category strategies. The platform includes planogram automation, assortment planning, clustering, floor planning, retail analytics, image recognition for compliance, and an AI assistant, complemented by remote planogram development and category management consulting services.
Product overview
DotActiv is a unified category management platform that combines AI tools and retail expertise to help retailers and suppliers plan, analyse, and execute category strategies. The platform architecture consists of core planogram and space planning modules (NOVA, LUNA, Assortment Planning, Clustering, Floor Planning, Retail Analytics, Unified Data Engine, DotActiv Viewer) supplemented by AI assistants (LOLA and TRUEVIEW). Activ8 provides team management and execution capabilities including planogram communication, task management, project management, field marketing, store communication, leave/expense management, and time and attendance. The platform operates on a Microsoft Windows desktop application with mobile access via Android and iOS apps, and offers tiered pricing from free (up to 40 SKUs) through LITE, PRO, ENTERPRISE, and ENTERPRISE AI plans.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Nova: AI-powered planogram generation software that creates intelligent shelf layouts based on shopper decision trees, merchandising rules, and store format needs.
- Lola
- TrueView
- LUNA
- Activ8
- DotActiv Viewer
- PowerBase
- DotActiv Academy
Products and services
- NOVA – Planogram Automation AI-powered planogram generation software that creates intelligent shelf layouts from the ground up using zero-base logic. NOVA builds planograms based on shopper decision trees, merchandising rules, and store format needs, supports multiple AI models, and can generate planograms for multiple store sizes in one step for retail category managers.
- LOLA – AI Assistant AI-powered category management assistant built into DotActiv that helps retail teams query internal data in plain language, analyse planograms and DRTs, access PowerBase guidance, and get on-demand support. Lola also acts as a built-in retail reference for industry terms by translating questions into SQL queries.
- TrueView – Planogram Compliance & Image Recognition AI image recognition solution that verifies planogram compliance at store level. Users upload shelf photos to automatically check execution, track implementation status in real time, and drill down by region, store, or category using computer vision technology.
- LUNA – Planogram Automation Planogram automation module listed in the DotActiv product navigation, providing automated planogram generation capabilities within the DotActiv software ecosystem for retail space planning.
- Activ8 Team management software that bridges the communication gap between head office and stores. Includes planogram compliance, task management, project management, field marketing, store communication, leave and expense management, and time and attendance tracking, available via web browser and Android/iOS mobile apps.
- DotActiv Free Free planogram software providing an introduction to basic planogram generation with ability to create data-driven planograms. Includes 10 planogram template bundles, retail analytics dashboards, and standard pre-built reports, limited to 40 SKUs on a single drop planogram.
- PowerBase Premium integrated resource library accessible exclusively to licensed DotActiv users through the DotActiv Windows Application, providing expert category management knowledge, methodology documentation, and guidance.
- Category Management Services Professional category management services including planogram development, cluster optimization, assortment planning, floor space optimization, data analysis, retail advisory, database management, and data processing. Delivered remotely by dedicated planning teams following DotActiv's proprietary four-level deep business process value chain with RACI matrix.
- Planogram Development Services Data-driven and performance-enhancing planograms delivered by skilled consultants using DotActiv's methodology and software. Includes access to qualified consultants, technical expertise, and proprietary processes for retail clients.
Quantifiable outcome
- Revenue increase of 5% to 30% through data-driven space allocations and consistent merchandising principles
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use DotActiv
Customer profileNamed customers24 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
DotActiv technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability7 records
Feature6 records
DotActiv partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Local UniversitiessupportingPartnerships with local universities and dedicated headhunting resources enable DotActiv to employ only the most qualified and talented people for consulting services.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
DotActiv competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Blue Yonder: Leading supply chain and retail planning platform (formerly JDA Software) offering space planning, assortment optimization, and category management. Directly competes with DotActiv in retailer-facing planning workflows, but at significantly larger enterprise scale.
- RELEX Solutions: AI-driven unified retail and supply chain planning platform with category management, space optimization, and assortment capabilities. Competes head-to-head with DotActiv's core category management and floor planning modules.
- NielsenIQ (NIQ) / Circana: Combined category management and market intelligence leader serving CPG suppliers and retailers with planning tools and shopper insights. Overlaps with DotActiv's supplier-side category management use cases, particularly among the CPG brands DotActiv serves.
- Symphony RetailAI: AI-powered category management, assortment, and space planning platform for retailers and CPG manufacturers. Closely comparable in offering and AI-led positioning to DotActiv's NOVA/Lola/TrueView suite.
- Kantar: Global leader in market research, shopper insights, and category management consulting tools used heavily by CPG suppliers. Comparable to DotActiv on the supplier-side category management workflow.
- AFS Technologies: Retail execution and category management software vendor serving both retailers and CPG suppliers with trade promotion and space planning tools. Direct competitor in mid-market and emerging markets where DotActiv also operates.
Emerging players
- o9 Solutions: AI-powered integrated business planning platform with retail merchandising and category planning modules. Overlaps with DotActiv on AI-driven retail planning, though o9 is broader and more enterprise-focused.
Broad incumbents
- SAP: Through SAP CAR and SAP IBP, SAP offers category management and retail planning capabilities as part of a much broader enterprise software portfolio. Competes for the same enterprise retail HQ buyers as DotActiv's Enterprise tier.
- Oracle Retail: Offers Oracle Retail Category Management and space planning solutions bundled into the broader Oracle Retail suite. A broad incumbent alternative for large retailers evaluating DotActiv's Enterprise/Enterprise AI tiers.
- Infor: Provides retail planning solutions including category management and assortment optimization as part of its CloudSuite retail ERP. Broad incumbent that competes for enterprise retail planning RFPs alongside DotActiv.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
DotActiv social profiles
Digital presenceDotActiv financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DotActiv leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
DotActiv funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DotActiv M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DotActiv
What does DotActiv do?
DotActiv provides AI-powered category management software and professional services for retailers and suppliers to plan, analyse, and execute category strategies. The platform includes planogram automation, assortment planning, clustering, floor planning, retail analytics, image recognition for compliance, and an AI assistant, complemented by remote planogram development and category management consulting services.
Is DotActiv a public or private company?
DotActiv is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was DotActiv founded?
DotActiv was founded in 2010. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is DotActiv based?
DotActiv is headquartered in Gauteng, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does DotActiv make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Software Licenses are the primary driver. The others are professional Services, planogram Development Services and activ8 Subscriptions.
Who are DotActiv's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Blue Yonder, RELEX Solutions, NielsenIQ (NIQ) / Circana, Symphony RetailAI, Kantar and AFS Technologies. o9 Solutions is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are SAP, Oracle Retail and Infor.
Does DotActiv have an API?
No public API is recorded for DotActiv.
What industry is DotActiv in?
DotActiv's product category is Retail Category Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAHAG, Generative AI & LLM Solutions Services (RAG, Agents, Copilots), with a secondary code of HDAEAMAB, Enterprise Reporting & Pixel-Perfect Reporting. Its NAICS code is 51321 and its SIC code is 7372.