# Chat App E-Commerce Integrations 'Charles' Seamlessly Blends Chat Services with Online Retailers By Colin Smith | Published 2022-08-10 | Business Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/charles References: [techcrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/20/charles-raises-20m-to-bring-conversational-commerce-to-whatsapp-in-europe/) & [hello-charles](https://www.hello-charles.com/)  '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 ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.5/10 - Popularity: 45% | Activity: 79% | Freshness: 12% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Business](https://www.trendhunter.com/business) > [Retail](https://www.trendhunter.com/retail) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **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. - **Platform-specific Sales:** Chat apps like WhatsApp could introduce platform-specific sales and discounts, allowing businesses to target specific customer groups and boost sales. - **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. ### Who This Affects Most - **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. - **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. - **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. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [In-Chat Shopping Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/group-chat-interface.md) - [Communication App Shopping Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/whatsapp-flows.md) - [Chat-Based Application Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/chatbased-application.md) - [Conversational E-Commerce Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/attentive.md) - [Interconnected Messaging Ecosystems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/interconnected-messaging-ecosystem.md) - [Chat App Marketing Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/easebyai.md) - [African Digital Wallet Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/union54.md) - [In-App Restaurant Ordering Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/restaurant-ordering-system.md) - [E-Commerce Chatbot Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/embed-chat.md)