Reliable AI advisory starts with original data. plugilo, for example, transforms product master data into intelligent Cards and uses them to train bots as digital advisors. This allows knowledge to flow directly from the data owner through resellers to the point of sale. We asked founder and CEO Michael Mohr how this works on the sidelines of ECR iN MOTiON.
Why is your AI advisory more relevant, precise, and reliable than generic AI?
Michael Mohr: Generic systems draw on the open web, meaning copies without a clear source, date, or accountability. Our AI assistant, “pluggy,” responds based on the approved original knowledge of the data owners. Every answer remains connected to its source. If information is missing, this is clearly stated rather than invented.
The foundation is intelligent Cards: living data objects that remain permanently connected to the original source. The brand maintains its knowledge centrally, just once. Every change automatically reaches all connected Cards. This replaces the maintenance of countless separate copies with a permanent connection to the original, always under the full control of the owner.
The advisory becomes precise because pluggy learns from three sides: the brand provides its knowledge, customer questions make it smarter every day, and it understands the context in which it is currently working, such as the product range of a retail partner.
Which use cases or best practices are most popular with shoppers?
Michael Mohr: The greatest demand is for anything that makes purchasing decisions easier: Does the product meet my needs? Is it compatible with what I already have? What ingredients or allergens does it contain? How do I use and care for it properly? pluggy answers these questions directly at the product: in the online shop, via a GTIN scan in the store, or through the browser extension on supported product pages.
The second favorite is taking the information with you: customers save products and recommendations as Cards, organize them in Stacks, and can access them again at any time in the plugilo app, across shops and situations. The connection to the brand and retailer remains intact, including for later questions, accessories, and support. A fleeting click becomes a lasting customer relationship.
We started in the IT sector, for example with Philips/AOC and distributors such as api, Littlebit, and Siewert & Kau. The spectrum has since expanded into home appliances, kitchens, and furniture, with examples including Miele Switzerland, Electrolux/AEG, and Liebherr. These are selected references from companies that are already using plugilo or are currently setting it up.
What are the next steps for plugilo? What comes next in concrete terms?
Michael Mohr: We are now scaling the model across partner networks and industries. The mechanism is simple: the brand activates its knowledge once and equips its entire partner network with it. With pluggy, every retailer gets a digital advisor that explains products in line with the brand and helps sell them, while customers receive advice directly at the product. At the same time, we make the contribution to qualified demand, sales, and customer retention measurable.
Our ambition is global and cross-industry. Just as PayPal standardized payments across different shops, we want to make original knowledge available as a common layer for AI advisory: maintained once at the source and usable everywhere through a connected system.
That is why, through the “Trusted AI Advisory Alliance,” we invite all data owners to shape their own role in the AI world: manufacturers and brands, as well as retailers, publishers, and associations. The owners determine which knowledge they make available and how it is used; plugilo provides the infrastructure and tools. Every industry that joins expands the shared knowledge and reach for everyone. Those who own the original should determine its impact in the AI world themselves.
About Michael Mohr
Michael Mohr is the founder and CEO of plugilo and founder of DCI AG. For more than three decades, he has been structuring product and market data and connecting manufacturers, retailers, and media through digital business models. With plugilo and the Trusted AI Advisory Alliance, he is pursuing one goal: enabling data owners to retain control over their original knowledge and make it available worldwide for trustworthy AI advisory and lasting customer connections.
Michael Mohr as a Speaker at ECR iN MOTiON 2026
In his Deep Dive on the second day, as part of “GTIN/DQX Master Data Meets AI: How Original Knowledge Leads to Better Advisory,” he will present concrete use cases and share his experience with the community on building lasting customer connections.