- Octane AI — the all-in-one buyer profile, Facebook Messenger, and SMS marketing platform for Shopify — announced it has launched the Shoppable Quiz private beta and has raised $4.25 million in venture capital funding
Octane AI — the all-in-one buyer profile, Facebook Messenger, and SMS marketing platform for Shopify — announced it has launched the Shoppable Quiz private beta and has raised $4.25 million in venture capital funding. The Shoppable Quiz brings the retail consultation experience online with a personalized shopping experience, featuring a fully customizable and easy-to-use quiz builder integrated with Shopify, Klaviyo, ReCharge, and several best-in-class ecommerce technologies.
Octane AI is also announcing a $4.25 million venture capital funding round led by Bullpen Capital. Along with Bullpen Capital, participants in Octane AI’s new fundraising round includes General Catalyst, Boost VC, FJ Labs, Mana Ventures, Nelstone Ventures, True Search, Adam Schwartz (CEO and Founder of Articulate), Jeremiah Owyang (Tech and Corporate Innovation Analyst and Founder of Kaleido Insights and Catalyst Companies) and Larry Braitman (Angel Investor, Founder of Flycast Communications and Adify). Including this round, the company has raised $9 million so far.
Through advanced quiz logic, Shopify stores can ask customers key questions to build buyer profiles and use personalized messaging across Facebook Messenger and SMS to recommend products — all in one platform.
Octane AI is bringing a core part of the retail experience online for the first time ever. Browsing an online catalog often feels like searching through a massive warehouse. And without a store clerk where customers can ask questions, it can be difficult for new visitors to find what they need. The Shoppable Quiz simplifies the discovery experience for customers with an in-depth online consultation. And the Shoppable Quiz lets brands design their own quizzes with a drag-and-drop interface. Customers can simply add products to their cart directly from the results page. By integrating with Octane AI’s existing Messenger or SMS tools, businesses can send personalized follow-ups based on quiz answers.
The Shoppable Quiz bridges the gap between brick-and-mortar and ecommerce with advanced technology that allows for deep personalization — which has previously only been available to multi-billion dollar companies. And Octane AI is sharing this same technology with entrepreneurs and merchants that haven’t had access to it before, giving ecommerce stores the tools to learn who their customers are and personalize every message and recommendation based on their buyer profile. By identifying these buyer profiles, merchants can intelligently recommend products that give customers the confidence they need to make the right purchase.
Octane AI has partnered with a wide range of world-class ecommerce agencies and technology platforms. These platforms include Hawke Media, Mutesix, Lucid, Q3 Digital, Taproom Agency, Chronos Agency, Common Thread Collective, Ethercycle, EcommerceTech.io, Ecommerce Fastlane, Roswell Studios, Kinga Dow, Retention Commerce, Trellis, One Rockwell, Prestige Pro Media, Blue Switch, Verbal and Visual, AdQuadrant, Klaviyo, ReCharge, Gorgias, Re:amaze, Shogun, Shoelace and Refersion.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are creating a better way to shop online. The Octane AI Shoppable Quiz enables brands to get to know the needs, preferences, and concerns of each customer, and then uses this information to build a relationship where the right products and information can be shown at the right times. If I walk into a physical store, someone can greet me, help me find exactly what I need, and give me the confidence to purchase – The Shoppable Quiz uses conversational automation to make this experience digital and scalable for the top ecommerce brands in the world.”
— Matt Schlicht, CEO of Octane AI
“We’ve been dreaming about a Shoppable Quiz since starting our ecommerce site to answer our customers’ number one question: ‘what flavor should I try and what do I do with it?’ Octane AI was able to create a Shoppable Quiz to seamlessly answer these questions while also gathering useful customer information. We’re so excited to get to know our customers on a personal level, help them find products easier and engage with them in a more impactful way. The Shoppable Quiz is something every ecommerce brand needs to build detailed buyer profiles, and we look forward to using this info to further personalize our emails, SMS, Messenger, and ads.”
— Alex Tenney, Marketing Director at Skinny Mixes, a DTC brand that sells syrups for beverages
“Octane AI’s new Shoppable Quiz is changing the ecommerce game. Let’s face it: ecommerce is only growing and it’s important to give customers what they are looking for. Octane AI is invested in helping us grow, and this latest product only reinforces that. This quiz is easy to build and customize, and customers love engaging with it. We’re starting to learn so much more about our customers—our messaging on email, SMS and Facebook Messenger is going to be way more targeted and personalized.”
— Zach Niemiec, Director of Administrative Services at Bariatric Fusion, a globally-recognized nutraceutical company
“We’re excited to lead Octane AI through this exciting period of growth. We’re at a unique crossroad with so much retail currently taking place online. Octane AI’s raise is a direct result of our belief that online retail is ready for a massive overhaul and we believe their innovative approach can help retailers deliver a new shopping experience to their customers.”
— Bullpen Capital General Partner Paul Martino
