'Charles' Seamlessly Blends Chat Services with Online Retailers
Colin Smith — August 11, 2022 — Business
References: hello-charles & techcrunch
'Charles' is a conversational e-commerce company that aims to seamlessly integrate online shopping avenues to real-time chatting applications. The company recently raised $20 million USD in a Series A round of funding that it will use to blend its services into WhatsApp, a popular Meta-owned chat app used by millions of customers around the world.
Charles noted that many regions, such as Asia, are already intimately familiar with conversational e-commerce, while the concept remains unfamiliar to North American and European customers. This is why the company sought to target WhatsApp as opposed to Weibo or WeChat.
The e-commerce integration works by seamlessly blending e-commerce systems, such as Shopify, directly into chat apps. This allows businesses to prompt sales and market items directly through live chats while also providing after-sale support and pre-sale consultation for particular products.
One downstream effect of conversational e-commerce is the addition of platform-specific sales and convenient one-to-many marketing. For example, WhatsApp could release newsletters with special discounts, including platform-specific discount codes or limited-visibility offers for WhatsApp users. The customers could then quickly and conveniently purchase the desired promotional item through the live chat service.
Image Credit: Charles
Charles noted that many regions, such as Asia, are already intimately familiar with conversational e-commerce, while the concept remains unfamiliar to North American and European customers. This is why the company sought to target WhatsApp as opposed to Weibo or WeChat.
The e-commerce integration works by seamlessly blending e-commerce systems, such as Shopify, directly into chat apps. This allows businesses to prompt sales and market items directly through live chats while also providing after-sale support and pre-sale consultation for particular products.
One downstream effect of conversational e-commerce is the addition of platform-specific sales and convenient one-to-many marketing. For example, WhatsApp could release newsletters with special discounts, including platform-specific discount codes or limited-visibility offers for WhatsApp users. The customers could then quickly and conveniently purchase the desired promotional item through the live chat service.
Image Credit: Charles
Trend Themes
1. Conversational E-commerce - The integration of e-commerce systems into chat apps provides a seamless way to market, sell, and support products through live chats.
2. Platform-specific Sales - Chat apps like WhatsApp could introduce platform-specific sales and discounts, allowing businesses to target specific customer groups and boost sales.
3. One-to-many Marketing - The integration of e-commerce systems into chat apps allows businesses to reach many customers at once, making it easier and more efficient to market products.
Industry Implications
1. E-commerce - E-commerce companies can benefit from integrating their systems into chat apps, as it provides a new way to market, sell, and support their products.
2. Messaging - Messaging app companies, like WhatsApp, can partner with e-commerce companies to introduce platform-specific sales and discounts, providing a unique value proposition for their users.
3. Marketing - Marketing companies can leverage the integration of e-commerce systems into chat apps to reach more customers and provide a more personalized experience for them.
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