Social Commerce software

Updated: July 30, 2023

Social Commerce software is a game-changing tool that bridges the gap between social media and e-commerce, allowing businesses to sell products and services directly within social media platforms. These specialized platforms integrate with popular social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, enabling businesses to create shoppable posts and ads that seamlessly guide users to make purchases without leaving the social platform. Social Commerce software often includes features like product catalogs, secure payment gateways, and customer support functionalities, enhancing the overall shopping experience for users. By leveraging Social Commerce software, businesses can tap into the vast audience and engagement potential of social media, drive impulse purchases, and boost conversion rates. Moreover, the data gathered from social interactions provides valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviors, enabling businesses to create personalized and targeted marketing strategies. Social Commerce software is a powerful tool that empowers businesses to leverage the influence of social media to drive sales, increase brand visibility, and build stronger customer relationships.

See also: Top 10 Online Store Builders

2022. Social commerce startup Elenas secures $20M



Elenas, a startup dedicated to empowering women in Latin America to sell consumer items through catalog-based and door-to-door sales approaches, has successfully raised $20 million in funding. Here's an overview of how Elenas operates: Entrepreneurs have the opportunity to explore an extensive portfolio of wholesale products, encompassing various categories such as beauty, personal care, home goods, and electronics. They can then select the products they wish to sell, determine the desired markup, and subsequently promote these products through popular social channels like WhatsApp and Facebook. By leveraging these platforms, entrepreneurs can effectively reach potential customers and generate sales. Elenas provides a valuable avenue for women in Latin America to establish their businesses and drive economic opportunities.


2022. Japan’s Zeals raises $38.8M to scale its chat commerce platform



Zeals, a startup based in Tokyo, has successfully raised $27.2 million. This innovative company provides businesses with a chat application that facilitates seamless communication with their customers. Conversational commerce, a concept introduced by former Uber employee Chris Messina in 2015, enables online businesses to effectively sell their products and services through messaging and chat platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has significantly accelerated the adoption of messaging apps as a primary medium for personal, business, and commerce interactions. Zeals currently serves over 400 enterprises, including Toyota dealerships, Shiseido, and NTT Docomo, enabling them to enhance their customer engagement and support.


2022. Clickatell raises $91M to scale its chat commerce platform



Clickatell, a leading player in the mobile communications and chat commerce arena, has successfully secured $91 million in a recent funding round. In the realm of chat commerce, where prominent entities such as Twilio, Zendesk, and Stripe dominate communication platform as a service (CPaaS), contact center as a service (CCaaS), and e-commerce payments respectively, Clickatell operates at the intersection of these three domains. It aids businesses in implementing payment solutions within chat channels. Clickatell proudly claims to have developed one of the world's initial chat banking solutions on WhatsApp through its chat commerce integration with ABSA Bank, one of South Africa's largest banks.


2021. Yalo raises $50M to build ‘c-commerce’ services for chat apps like WhatsApp



Facebook has been actively promoting WhatsApp as a platform for businesses to engage and sell to their customers. Today, a startup specializing in providing tools for retailers and other businesses to create and manage such services on messaging platforms, including WhatsApp, is announcing a significant funding round to seize this opportunity. Yalo, a c-commerce ("chat commerce") startup, focuses on developing tools for businesses to leverage messaging apps for customer outreach and sales strategies. With $50 million in funding, Yalo plans to expand its services, with a particular emphasis on emerging markets like Latin America and Southeast Asia. Yalo has already attracted renowned brands such as Unilever, Nestle, Coca-Cola, and Walmart, who utilize its platform for sales and marketing endeavors. While the potential audience is estimated to be around 350 million, Yalo does not disclose the exact number of active users on its platform.


2021. Charles raises €6.4M to bring ‘conversational commerce’ to WhatsApp



Charles, a startup based in Berlin, has secured €6.4 million in funding for its "conversational-commerce" SaaS solution, targeting businesses interested in selling on popular chat apps like WhatsApp. Charles aims to boost conversion rates, enhance customer loyalty, and ultimately increase revenue for businesses. The SaaS platform seamlessly integrates chat app APIs, such as WhatsApp and Messenger, with shop and CRM systems like Shopify, SAP, and HubSpot. All of this is accomplished through a user-friendly interface. The primary objective is to simplify the process for businesses to engage with customers on the channels they already use, bridging the gap between sales inquiries, support, and actual conversions.


2020. iKala, an AI-based customer engagement platform, raises $17M



Taiwanese startup iKala has secured $17 million in Series B funding and plans to expand its operations into new Southeast Asian markets. iKala specializes in offering an artificial intelligence-based platform for customer acquisition and engagement. Its range of products caters specifically to e-commerce companies, including KOL Radar for influencer marketing and Shoplus, a social commerce service that focuses on Southeast Asian markets. iKala differentiates itself by implementing a cutting-edge DAA flywheel (Digitalization, Analytics, and Application flywheel) framework, which provides a clear roadmap and strategy for the adoption of AI technologies. This funding round will enable iKala to further its growth and extend its reach into new markets.