2021年3月29日

由两位前光速产品领导者领导的Montréal-based零售科技创业公司QuoteMachine筹集了100万加元的种子融资，该软件公司希望帮助数字商家与客户建立更可持续的关系。这轮融资由Telegraph Hill Capital (THCAP)领投。枫叶天使基金MLA48 III、Real Ventures等个人天使投资人也参与其中。QuoteMachine希望成为大型零售商的客户关系管理平台。QuoteMachine成立于2018年，希望成为大型零售商首选的客户关系管理平台(CRM)。该公司的解决方案集成了Lightspeed和Shopify。QuoteMachine的联合创始人兼首席执行官JD Rocheteau告诉BetaKit，现在是扩大规模的“正确时机”。这家初创公司计划利用新融资将团队规模扩大一倍，并与主要零售软件平台建立新的合作伙伴关系和整合。罗彻托说:“我们还投资于产品开发，以保持领先于零售趋势，如在线和店内预约购物、与销售助理在线聊天或社交媒体销售。”QuoteMachine的联合创始人都是光速的校友:Rocheteau担任软件工程师和产品经理，而CTO Jonathan Muschalle担任软件架构师和开发经理。 Based on a belief that digital commerce needs to shift its focus from anonymous transactions to deeper relationships, the company’s multi-tiered subscription-based solutions allow retailers to deliver personalized digital sales experiences and convert in-store conversations into online sales. “As more buyers are concerned with value-aligned purchasing, there is an increased demand for information about the products’ history,” said Rocheteau. “Who are you buying from? How was it made? What does it contain? Consumers are no longer just buying products, they’re buying stories. We are enabling retailers to share these stories and their expertise in a very human way.” Varun Dalal, principal at THCAP, said QuoteMachine addresses a market “that is currently underserved by ecommerce.” According to Dalal, “not only does [QuoteMachine] enable businesses selling customizable products to bring their interactions from the show-room floor online, but it also gives customers the opportunity to visit a store—see and experience the items they wish to buy— and continue the conversation with an expert from their smartphones or computers, translating to significant increases in sales for those businesses.” Rocheteau said QuoteMachine has allowed retailers in verticals experiencing demand during COVID-19, such as home hardware, furniture stores, and outdoor sports specialists, to operate online “without compromising on providing the best customer service.” Amid the pandemic, QuoteMachine began working with some of its clients to develop contactless workflows. For bike shops, it developed a system whereby customers would drop off their bikes in front of the store for repair, and “take care of the conversation online.” QuoteMachine claims that software platforms it has partnered with have seen a 30 percent increase in their merchants’ gross merchandise revenue. Over the last six months, Rocheteau said the startup’s business has experienced 20 percent growth, month-over-month. By growing its product team, QuoteMachine aims to expand its platform’s communications channels “so that sales associates can interact with customers via online chat, messaging apps and video, and also embrace new post-Covid trends like shop by appointment and in-store pickup.” Last year, the startup participated in Real Ventures’ FounderFuel accelerator, which was hosted virtually due to COVID-19. Katy Yam, FounderFuel’s general manager called the company “a game changer for local retailers.” “The reality is that independent retailers often provide critical decision-making expertise for high-ticket or complex products, only to lose that sale to an online retailer after the customer leaves their store,” said Yam, who added that QuoteMachine gives these retailers the tools they need “to convert their expertise into sales.” Ultimately, QuoteMachine wants to help merchants go online “without losing their identity and the human touch that’s integral to their business.” Approximately 70 percent of QuoteMachine’s users are based in the United States, while 20 percent are Canadian. Now, the startup has its sights set on expanding to Australia and Europe. To achieve these goals, QuoteMachine is currently hiring in every function, with plans to add at least nine more people to its team over the next year. Photo courtesy of QuoteMachine