Positioning Inspectorio As the Industry Leader During a Time of Immense Supply Chain Disruption

Inspectorio is an AI-powered supply chain platform helping global brands and retailers connect and digitize supply chain processes in order to optimize decision-making, all while providing real-time visibility and control over production and operations. Founded in 2016, Inspectorio services top retailers like URBN, Gap Inc., Mango, Honeylove and DICK’s Sporting Goods.

In 2023, Inspectorio was preparing for a new stage in their business. They had just closed a $50 million Series B led by Insight Partners, earned recognition on CB Insights’ Retail Tech 100, and were preparing to expand into new verticals.

They needed a communications partner to match their ambitions. Their competitors ranked higher in SOV, and they couldn’t correlate PR activity to real business results like increased sales or brand awareness.

When CEO Chirag Patel and SVP, Americas Mark Burstein came to us in late 2023, they were frustrated. They’d worked with an agency before but felt PR hadn’t been leveraged to its full potential.

The specific communications challenges:

• Thought leadership was underutilized: Content generation that positioned Inspectorio as a leader wasn’t a priority.
• SOV was lagging: Competitors ranked higher across categories due to greater earned media coverage.
• Reporting lacked business relevance: They needed KPIs tied to business impact, not just impressions.
• Coverage was inconsistent: Inspectorio was featured in some articles, but not routinely covered.
• Analyst relations was absent: No regular engagement with Gartner, Forrester, IDC or other key buying-decision influencers.

The tangible business impact:

Inspectorio lacked the third-party validation—customer stories, media coverage, awards and analyst support—needed to close complex deals with long sales cycles.

As an Inspectorio executive told us during the sales process: “One of the key differentiators we see is your experience in supply chain and our industry. We’d like your support in reacting to important industry news and making sure we interject ourselves into the conversation when possible.”

The perfect PR partner:

• Deep industry expertise: Deep commerce tech knowledge—no learning curve on OMS, SCM, compliance or sustainability.
• Talent for writing: Strategic thought leadership beyond bylines, including long-form content, marketing assets and social promo.
• Cultural match: A culture match with proven results in the industry and breadth of expertise across communications and marketing.

Inspectorio selected Aster Agency as its PR partner in early 2024. Bringing deep supply chain expertise and a track record for PR-driven business results, we speak the language of Inspectorio’s retail buyers and have the media relationships that move the needle.

Across each month, we provide communications and marketing support, including:

• Media relations and proactive pitching: 30 proactive pitches per year
• Press release development and distribution: eight press releases generating 32 articles in 2025
• Thought leadership: nine byline articles developed across four SMEs in 2025
• Analyst relations: ongoing briefings with Gartner, Forrester, IDC and RSR
• Awards: three awards won from eight considered
• Event support: pitched briefings across three industry events in 2025
• Reporting: monthly coverage, SOV and KPI reports

Obtaining high-value coverage that validates expertise

Inspectorio needed a diverse mix of coverage to validate its expertise across verticals and buyer profiles—in both trade and top-tier media, and across global markets including the U.K. and U.S.

Capturing SOV in the first six months

In the first six months, we distributed four press releases: three customer announcements (DICK’s Sporting Goods, Centric Brands and Honeylove) and a State of Supply Chain Report. We generated 37 pieces of coverage, and Inspectorio improved to #2 or #3 in all areas of SOV it evaluated, including quality, sustainability and traceability.

Diversifying and increasing coverage in year two

In year two, we increased pickup by 158% YoY, capturing 71 pieces of unique coverage with a 1.1 billion total reach and as much as 79% SOV against three top competitors.

• Eight press releases resulting in 32 articles: 24 driven by four customer announcements.
• 26 articles in U.K. publications: representing 37% of overall coverage.
• Top-tier coverage: in The New York Times, Inc., Forbes and Yahoo! Finance.
• Coverage across verticals: general retail, fashion, mass market, food and grocery, supply chain and payments.

Notable top-tier coverage: The New York Times

We’ve worked closely with Mark Burstein, SVP, Americas, to develop consistent thought leadership and offer his expertise on breaking industry news—including through his Forbes Council profile. That positioning paid off when we secured a New York Times interview on tariff turmoil.

“…People are not going to chase their tail (regarding tariffs on transshipped goods),’ said Mark Burstein, senior vice president at Inspectorio… Instead, Mr. Burstein said, his clients are placing smaller orders more frequently so they can absorb tariffs in smaller chunks.” — The New York Times, “New Tariff on ‘Transshipped’ Goods Mystifies Importers,” Aug. 8, 2025