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Vienna, November 20, 2025 – Rasendoktor, together with Qualimero, won the Austrian Retail Innovation Award 2025 in the "Best Online Innovation" category. The AI employee "Hektor" prevailed against prominent competitors: Douglas with their sampling solution and Mömax with their shopping assistant.
Hektor: AI Expert Advisor with Professional Knowledge
Hektor is an AI-powered digital expert advisor for lawn care, based on Rasendoktor's complete expert knowledge. It answers customer questions about fertilization, diseases and maintenance 24/7 – even outside business hours and during spring peak times.
The Innovation: Image Recognition Identifies Lawn Damage
Customers can upload photos of their lawn. Hektor automatically analyzes the condition, identifies problems like moss, weeds or drought damage and recommends matching products from Rasendoktor's catalog.
Measurable Results for Rasendoktor:Higher webshop conversion through precise product recommendationsRelief for support team with standard inquiries24/7 availability even during peak seasonCustomers receive verified recommendations immediately instead of FAQ links
Why the Jury Awarded Hektor
The distinguished jury – consisting of Cordula Cerha (WU Vienna), George Wallner (Post Business Solutions), Awi Lifshitz (weXelerate) and jury chairman Florian Haas (EY) – was particularly convinced by the combination of expert knowledge, image recognition and measurable business results.
Florian Haas (EY): "Innovations in retail should make shopping easier and thus increase frequency and customer loyalty. On the other hand, they should simplify processes and make them more effective and cost-efficient."
This is exactly what Hektor achieves: Customers get the right advice immediately, while the Rasendoktor team can focus on complex cases.
Qualimero: Platform for Complex Products
Hektor runs on the Qualimero platform, specifically designed for consultation-heavy consumer products like garden, plant protection or technical home products. Unlike generic chatbots, Qualimero understands product complexity and regulatory requirements – delivering verified recommendations instead of vague answers.
The Technology Behind Hektor:Training with Rasendoktor expert knowledge (FAQs, product data, applications)Shopware integration for live availability and pricesAI-powered image recognition for lawn diagnosticsMultichannel deployment: webshop, email, WhatsApp
Recognition for Austrian Retail Innovation
The Austrian Retail Innovation Awards were presented for the tenth time – this year with a record 50 submissions. 19 companies were nominated, four winners were awarded.
Rainer Will, Managing Director of the Austrian Retail Association: "Austrian retail is already implementing much in practice and is thus one of the most innovative sectors in the country. This is also shown by the high quality of this year's submissions."
About Rasendoktor
Rasendoktor specializes in lawn care products and advises customers on fertilization, lawn diseases and maintenance. With Hektor, the company expands its consulting expertise digitally – without having to hire additional staff during peak season.
Read the Casestudy
About Qualimero
Qualimero develops AI employees for consultation-heavy consumer products in the DACH region. The platform is specifically built for industries like garden, plant protection, heating systems and technical home products – with focus on GDPR compliance and regulatory requirements.
