🚀 HERO: Future of Retail
Add IRL Experiences to your Online Store (acquired by Klarna)
This week’s startup gives virtual shop owners superpowers by giving them tools to uplevel their digital customer experiences to a whole new dimension. Let’s check out HERO (now a part of Klarna) - an immersive and ‘real’ way to shop online.
⚾ The Elevator Pitch
Before the Internet, shopping was done in the real world at markets and stores. In just the last few decades, through the rise of online shopping, e-commerce has boomed. Regardless of all the shopping experience advancements like AI recommendations and one-click checkout, digital shopping still lacks one thing: the human touch. There were a lot of companies that tried to fill this void, but no one cracked the code.
Enter HERO - a virtual shopping platform that enables eCommerce retailers and brands to closing the gap between physical and virtual shopping. By using dynamic content types, including chat and video, HERO redefines the future of retail business.
👇 The Drop Down
Site: https://www.usehero.com/
Founded: 2015
Stage: Series A (Acquired)
Tech trend: eCommerce
Traction: Recently acquired by Klarna, raised $10 Million in Series A funding, partnered with 150+ businesses, Featured on WSJ, RetailDive, Printmag, and News Groove.
Team - Marketing Specialist, Entrepreneurs, & Digital Growth managers.
Adam Levene (CEO) | James Piccirillo (CFO) | Katie Levene (HOM)
🔍 Why we like it
👫Started with support, now a full suite utility
HERO’s initial strategy was simple — ditch the ineffective chatbots and instead offer a real-life support agent. HERO belives that support is one of the top customer acquisition channels and robots don’t do this specific job well (just yet). Instead, they built an immersive video based experience where shoppers can show off the items they’re holding while chatting with an IRL ‘expert’ about the item (who would inevitably convince the shop to close the purchase)
🌊 They have all the data to convert a business
Static product images and boring description isn't something that will scale your business in today's competitive digital landscape. Today, shoppers want to see the product reviews from experts before they make the buying decision. According to the this commerce survey, 64% of customers are more likely to buy a product if they are showcased from a visual perspective or suggested by product expert / influencers. Having suggestions from a store expert can turn one-time shoppers into lifelong customers and forges a long-lasting personalized relationship.
🛠 Solution for both Shoppers and Business
HERO isn't just built with businesses in mind; they offer plenty of great options for shoppers as well. They recently launched a "pay how you like" scheme, which you can use to pay in 4 interest-free payments (like Afterpay, Affirm, etc). HERO also claims that you'll be more likely to buy a product from the HERO app, precisely 52% more likely, than from the official store website. For businesses, HERO attracts strong performance-driven marketing. And now that Klarna has acquired them, they have some of the best metrics in the market, including 147M global shoppers, 400K retail partners, and 2M daily transactions.
🤘Get Involved with HERO
200+ Trusted brands...Adding more
Take the virtual tour
