This year’s group of 30 startups with the best solutions for “Crafting the Customer Experience of Tomorrow” represent nine countries and span ten categories. Their solutions range from omnichannel to supply chain, clienteling to customer service, and from data analytics to artificial intelligence.
The 30 startups selected as finalists this year propose the top solutions for “Crafting the Customer Experience of Tomorrow”. They represent nine different countries and span ten different categories, including omnichannel, supply chain, clienteling, customer service, data and AI. What’s more, 20% of them were founded by women.
In the past decade, venture capitalists have invested $23.8B in female-founded software startups, according to PitchBook data. During that time, the states with the highest number of deals include California, New York and Massachusetts. For example, Woodbury, New York’s Replika Software was co-founded by Kareen Mallet and raised $305,000 in VC funding in 2017.
Mega brands are seeing the potential and building relationships with a very limited number of exclusive influencers often through simple, effective apps such as Replika Software and others that connect to a brand’s website.
Most luxury goods and services brands think of their distribution channel options as comprised of three choices. They can go the wholesale/third party approach, develop their own retail/sale force channel, or they can sell via e-commerce. Now, new simple, effective app technologies such as Replika Software and others, are facilitating the development of the fourth channel, a network of devoted brand customers who become local influencers and sell directly to friends and family through apps that connect to the brand’s website. This approach, within ethical boundaries, is far more personal and effective than using celebrity influencers who are being perceived more, and more, like mercenaries, who buy fake followers, and are not true brand users or advocates. Look for this consumer-to-consumer channel to emerge rapidly in several luxury goods and services categories in 2019.
The retail Industry Social Commerce Solution enabling salespeople and brand ambassadors to sell more effectively online announces breakthrough for Instagram
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"Moving the expertise of a salesperson closer to the new point of inspiration and purchase in a data-driven world is essential for a brand to avoid being commoditized. Salespeople have been demanding attribution for sales they can affect online. With Replika, brands can power them up to become digital entrepreneurs with their own turn-key business."