Later adds Dena Upton as Chief People Officer to drive continued scale and AI innovation. June 11, 2026 1 min. read New executive hire reinforces Later's investment in building the creator economy's best workplace as the company sees accelerated growth. Later, the world's most intelligent influencer marketing company, appointed Dena Upton as Chief People Officer, continuing to build out its strong executive leadership team. Dena brings significant people leadership experience at high-growth technology companies and will lead Later's global people strategy as the company continues to expand across influencer marketing, creator commerce, and AI-powered innovation. "The next chapter of growth at Later will be driven by the talent we attract, develop, and empower across the organization," said Scott Sutton, chief executive officer of Later. "Dena brings the experience and mindset needed to help us scale thoughtfully while we build the strongest team in influencer marketing." Dena joins Later with extensive experience leading organizations through periods of significant growth. Most recently, she held leadership roles at Advisor360°, Drift and LogMeIn, where she built a reputation for developing high-performing cultures and raising the talent bar through periods of rapid growth. "The companies that win the next decade won't just have the best technology," said Dena, chief people officer at Later. "They'll have the highest talent density. That means fewer layers, faster decisions, senior judgment closer to the work, and high-growth people who thrive. Later is building exactly that kind of team, and I'm here to accelerate it." Dena's hire comes as Later strengthens its position as the world's most intelligent influencer marketing company. The team recently surpassed a $2.9 billion annual GMV run rate and is expanding its data-driven offerings with the launch of creator AEO, an industry-leading Answer Engine Optimization designed to help brands improve visibility, recommendation and share of voice across AI powered search.

Later, an influencer marketing company, has appointed Dena Upton as Chief People Officer to lead its global people strategy as it expands across influencer marketing, creator commerce and AI-powered innovation. Upton brings extensive experience from high-growth technology companies, having previously held leadership roles at Advisor360°, Drift and LogMeIn, where she built high-performing cultures during periods of rapid expansion. The appointment comes as Later strengthens its market position, having recently surpassed a $2.9 billion annual GMV run rate. The company recently launched creator AEO, an Answer Engine Optimisation tool designed to help brands improve visibility across AI-powered search platforms. Later serves enterprise clients including Nike, Southwest Airlines and Unilever, combining AI-powered technology with data from billions of social interactions and influencer-driven purchases.

Top Instagram tools for retail businesses 2026 to increase sales. Planoly, Later, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social is one of the best Instagram tools for retail businesses in 2026. These platforms help brands schedule posts, reply to customers, track performance, and improve product visibility to grow online sales. Published on: 29 May 2026, 11:45 am Updated on: 29 May 2026, 11:45 am Overview. Discover more Smartwatch deals Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence Big data solutions * Planoly helps businesses plan Instagram posts and manage content more easily. * Later supports post scheduling and content planning for business accounts. * Hootsuite helps brands manage social media accounts and customer messages from a single platform. Instagram is now one of the biggest platforms for online shopping and product promotion. Retail businesses in recent years have used the platform to connect with customers, promote new products, and increase sales. However, it's not an overnight thing. Growing a business through Instagram needs time. Brands need regular posts, quick replies, reels, stories, and customer support. Managing everything manually takes time, especially for small businesses with limited people. This is where the Instagram tools come into the scene. They have become an important part of retail businesses. These platforms help brands schedule posts, track engagement, reply to messages, and stay active online without spending the whole day managing social media. Some tools focus more on content planning, while others help with customer replies and account growth. If you are searching for useful Instagram tools for your retail business, we have a curated list that will suit almost all users. Planoly. Discover more Business intelligence software Currencies & Foreign Exchange Edge computing solutions Planoly helps businesses plan Instagram posts, reels, and product photos before they publish them. It kind of keeps the feed neat, organized, and easier to manage. This tool is recommended to those who are looking forward to saving time and helping brands keep a clean and attractive Instagram page without the constant back and forth. Later. Later is widely used for scheduling Instagram content and planning social media posts. Businesses can prepare captions and hashtags in advance, then just line everything up. So, if you are looking for a tool that makes your daily posts less complicated, this recommendation is for you. Additionally, it helps brands stay active without extra effort. Hootsuite. Discover more Stock market insights Cryptocurrency market analysis Tech news subscription Hootsuite helps businesses manage multiple social media accounts from one dashboard. Retail brands tend to use it to schedule posts and reply to customer messages all in one place. The primary reason behind the we recommend this tool to you involves its organized social media feature. This tool handles things pretty well without causing users to lose important content. Combin. Combin kind of focuses on Instagram audience growth and engagement. It's the kind of tool that businesses generally use to find people who are actually interested in their products. Further, using Combin improves day-to-day interactions. Thus, businesses that want to reach a wider audience should use this tool to grow their Instagram presence organically. Sprout Social. Sprout Social provides social media management along with audience tracking tools for businesses. Most brands use it to observe customer activity and how well posts do. So, if you are trying to figure out which content style pulls in more customers for your business, Sprout Social is an unmatched tool. It takes some time, but users will definitely understand the specific content type for their target audience. ManyChat. ManyChat helps businesses automate Instagram direct messages and customer replies. A lot of retail brands use it during sales campaigns or when they launch new products. It is recommended mostly because it reduces the workload and helps businesses respond to customers faster without missing anything important. Iconosquare. Iconosquare is more about Instagram analytics. At the same time, it tracks content performance. Generally, businesses use it to monitor audience growth and engagement. Over time, it will offer users a clear scenario of how the business has been performing. This tool is one of the most recommended ones because of its suggestions of which posts will do better and which won't. If users stick to the suggestions, they often gain increased reach. Why retail businesses use Instagram tools. The rapidly growing user base of this Meta platform has made it one of the finest platforms to promote businesses. Over the years, the increment of the graph has raised competition as well. Businesses need to post regularly and respond quickly to stay active and visible online. Instagram tools help brands stay relevant in the competition. They schedule posts, monitor analytics, and manage customer replies to reduce human efforts in promotion. These tools also help businesses stay organized during product launches and sales campaigns. Another reason behind their popularity is customer engagement. Many buyers now contact brands directly through Instagram messages and comments before making purchases. Final thoughts: Instagram tools are helping businesses grow faster. Instagram has become a major platform for retail businesses and online stores. Brands now depend heavily on social media to promote products and connect with customers every day. Platforms like Planoly, Later, and Hootsuite help businesses manage posts and content planning more smoothly. At the same time, ManyChat and Sprout Social help brands improve customer communication and track account performance. The best Instagram tool depends on what your business needs most. Some brands want better scheduling tools, while others focus more on customer replies or analytics. Trying different platforms can help businesses find the right fit for daily work. FAQs. Which Instagram tool is best for scheduling posts? Ans: Later and Planoly are among the best tools for scheduling Instagram posts because they help businesses plan content, organize captions, and maintain regular posting more easily. Why do retail businesses use Instagram tools? Ans: Retail businesses use Instagram tools to manage posts, reply to customer messages, track engagement, and improve product promotion while saving time during everyday social media work. Which Instagram tool helps with customer replies? Ans: ManyChat is useful for customer replies because it helps businesses automate Instagram messages and answer customer questions faster during busy shopping periods and sales campaigns. Are Instagram tools good for small businesses? Ans: Yes, Instagram tools help small businesses stay organized, manage content more easily, and improve online engagement without needing a large marketing or social media team. Which Instagram tool is best for analytics? Ans: Iconosquare and Sprout Social are popular for analytics because they help businesses track audience growth, engagement, and post performance across Instagram accounts.