Vienna, November 20, 2025 – Together with Qualimero, Rasendoktor has won the Austrian Retail Innovation Award 2025 in the "Best Online Innovation" category. The AI employee "Hektor" prevailed against well-known competition: Douglas with their sampling solution and Mömax with their shopping assistant.
Hektor: AI Specialist Consultant with Expert Knowledge
Hektor is an AI-supported digital consultant for lawn care, based on the entire expert knowledge of Rasendoktor. It answers customer questions regarding fertilization, diseases, and maintenance around the clock – even outside business hours and during peak times in spring.
The Innovation: Image Recognition Identifies Lawn Damage
Customers can upload photos of their lawn. Hektor automatically analyzes the condition, detects problems such as moss, weeds, or drought damage, and recommends suitable products from the Rasendoktor assortment.
Measurable Results for Rasendoktor:
- Higher conversion in the webshop through precise product recommendations
- Relief for the support team regarding standard inquiries
- 24/7 availability even in the high season
- Customers receive immediately verified recommendations instead of FAQ links
Why the Jury Chose Hektor
The top-class 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.
“Innovations in retail should, on the one hand, make shopping easier for us and thus increase frequency and customer loyalty. On the other hand, they should simplify processes and thus make them more effective and cost-efficient.”
This is exactly what Hektor delivers: Customers immediately get the right advice, while the Rasendoktor team can concentrate on complex cases.
Qualimero: Platform for Explanation-Intensive Products
Hektor runs on the Qualimero platform, which was developed specifically for explanation-intensive consumer products such as gardening, crop protection, or technical home products. Unlike generic chatbots, Qualimero understands product complexity and regulatory requirements – and delivers verified recommendations instead of vague answers.
The Technology Behind Hektor:
- Training with Rasendoktor expert knowledge (FAQs, product data, areas of application)
- Integration with Shopware for live availability and pricing
- AI-supported image recognition for lawn diagnoses
- Multichannel deployment: Webshop, E-Mail, WhatsApp
Award for Austrian Retail Innovation
The Austrian Retail Innovation Awards were presented for the tenth time – this year with a record number of 50 submissions. 19 companies were nominated, and four winners were awarded.
“Domestic retail is already implementing a lot in practice and thus counts among the most innovative industries 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 competence digitally – without having to hire additional staff during the high season.
About Qualimero
Qualimero develops AI employees for explanation-intensive consumer products in the DACH region. The platform is built specifically for industries such as gardening, crop protection, heating systems, and technical home products – with a focus on GDPR compliance and regulatory requirements.
Read the full press release from the Austrian Retail Association about the Retail Innovation Awards 2025.
View Press Release