OfferUp Partners with Albatross to Boost User Engagement

Zurich, Switzerland and Bellevue, WA, Sept. 23, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- OfferUp, the leading local marketplace app in the United States, has partnered with Albatross, a Swiss AI firm, to enhance its user experience through real-time adaptive discovery technology. This partnership, which replaces traditional recommendation systems with perception models, aims to better match buyers with relevant listings and sellers.

The initial pilot of this technology, conducted on OfferUp's platform, yielded impressive results. According to OfferUp, engagement on the homepage feed increased by 84%, while listing views across the entire platform rose by 19%. Additionally, total purchase intentions, or qualified buyers reaching out to sellers, climbed by 15%. Notably, homepage feed engagements saw a 61% increase week over week during the test period as the perception models learned from new interactions.

Nathan Garnett, Chief Business Officer of OfferUp, highlighted the benefits of this partnership.

The new system, which uses perception models to adapt to user intent in real-time, has proven effective. Over the pilot, the subset of OfferUp buyers who experienced the Albatross technology discovered an additional 3 million unique listings. This is a significant improvement over traditional recommendation systems, which might overlook new or less established sellers. As a result, OfferUp buyers were able to connect with 131,000 additional sellers.

OfferUp, founded in 2011 and headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, serves local markets nationwide and was used by more than one in six adults in the U.S. in 2024. The company is dedicated to creating the simplest and most trusted way for people to buy, sell, and connect in their local communities.

Albatross, the Swiss AI firm behind the technology, builds perception models for real-time product discovery on marketplaces. The company powers the online experience of 50+ million shoppers monthly and processes 3+ billion user interactions per month across 150+ million products. Albatross is a winner of the Tech for Retail 2025 Award and is based in Switzerland, backed by Redalpine, MMC Ventures, and Daphni.

This partnership marks a significant step forward for OfferUp in leveraging AI to improve user engagement and satisfaction. The results of the pilot suggest that the new technology could lead to a more dynamic and personalized marketplace experience for both buyers and sellers.