Turkish omnichannel marketing company Insider has clinched a deal to acquire Istanbul-HQed MindBehind's conversational e-commerce and messaging software.
MindBehind's conversational AI enables e-commerce customers and vendors to connect through instant messaging protocols like WhatsApp using natural language and phrasing.
The AI is programmed to execute automated customer support journeys in response to an instant message sent by the customer to the brand. Following the opening dialogue, instant messages to the customer allow them to discover new products, add items to their shopping cart, complete e-checkout registration and track the delivery of their goods.
Such functionality mirrors an ideal instant messaging customer journey outlined by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has argued these experiences will become standard for consumer-to-business communication in coming years.
Zuckerberg touched on the potential for end-to-end conversational experiences while announcing Meta's partnership deal with JioMart, the India-based on-demand groceries platform.
The acquisition deal makes sense from Insider's perspective as its omnichannel marketing services are already licensed by WhatsApp's owner Meta as an official "business solution provider."
Insider started offering one-to-one WhatsApp messaging three years ago and it's now a fundamental part of its omnichannel offering, which also spans email marketing, web communications and SMS text messages.
Post-acquisition, there will be headroom to further strengthen Insider's mutual R&D with WhatsApp Business, based on conversational tools from MindBehind's portfolio, according to the former's co-founder and CEO Hande Cilingir.
"Together, with Meta's product teams, we look forward to developing the next generation of WhatsApp Business solutions, forever changing the dialogue between brands and consumers," Cilingir said in a statement emailed to Tech.eu.
MindBehind will remain a functioning subsidiary once the deal is completed and there won't be any changes immediately to its 70-person team, who will continue under the direction of its CEO and co-founder Oguzhan Basegmez.
Basegmez's fellow co-founder Anil Kiper, who acts as MindBehind's chief growth officer, added: "Since 2016, MindBehind’s mission has been to create seamless messaging experiences between businesses and consumers.
"We are excited to be part of the Insider family. This acquisition brings together two innovative companies with a shared vision for the future of customer experience.
"By combining our technologies, we will be able to offer brands and retailers the most powerful platform for building meaningful connections with their consumers."
Would you like to write the first comment?
Login to post comments