An ecommerce applications developer that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assist online sellers do a greater job with personalized digital marketing just enjoyed a giant pay day.
And the organization investing $20 million in Connectly is global marketplace operator Alibaba.
“At Connectly, we’re vigorously working to bring AI-powered conversational commerce to brands all over the world to create more personalized interactions at scale,” says CEO Stefanos Loukakos. “Support from Alibaba, certainly one of the most important retailers on the planet, is profoundly impactful to our potential, and can enable us to proceed to speculate in our proprietary AI models and scale our business.”
Connectly hosts a platform for businesses to create messaging campaigns and automate conversations with customers across messaging apps.
Most interactions between brands and consumers are through one-way communication channels, like SMS & e-mail that produce limited engagement and browse rates, Connectly says.
The corporate’s AI-enabled cloud platform integrates with WhatsApp, SMS, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram. “Connectly’s products simplify how businesses deliver personalized marketing campaigns, time sensitive notifications, CSAT surveys and more, all inside the customer’s message thread of alternative,” the corporate says.
Founded in 2020, Connectly has raised $132 million in working capital, including its latest round of funding from Ailbaba and participation from Unusual Ventures, Volpe Capital, RX Ventures, Falabella Ventures and Philippos Kourkoulos Latsis.
“At Alibaba, we glance to partner with modern firms which are paving the best way of their industry,” says Alibaba. “Connectly is doing just that with AI-powered conversational commerce. The corporate has already achieved an ideal deal because it was founded, and we look ahead to following the corporate’s future journey and seeing the impact it has on brands across the globe.”
Alibaba owns the world’s two largest online marketplaces by gross merchandise value (GMV), Taobao and Tmall. Taobao ranks No. 1 within the Global Online Marketplaces Database, Digital Commerce 360’s rating of the most important such marketplaces by GMV. Tmall ranks No. 2. Each operate in China.
About 30,000 businesses on the B2B marketplace use Alibaba’s AI tools to extend product exposure in targeted markets.
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