Ecommerce chatbot startup Omnichat raises $800k in AppWorks-led round

Omnichat, a Hong Kong-based ecommerce messaging platform, has raised US$800,000 in a seed round led by AppWorks Ventures and backed by other investors such as Aria Group.

Omnichat co-founders Alan Chan (left) and Lewis Pong / Photo credit: Omnichat

Founded in 2018, Omnichat specializes in cross-platform marketing, including tracking customer browsing behavior, providing automatic shopping guides, and retargeting, among others.

It also offers a customer service system that integrates with ecommerce websites, Line, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp. Omnnichat said it expects to integrate new communication platforms such as WeChat and Telegram this year.

It looks to use the new funds to bankroll its customer acquisition efforts in Taiwan this year and expansion into Singapore and Malaysia in 2021.

The company also expects to launch an affiliate program this year, inviting digital marketing-related companies, agencies, and consultants to collaborate on developing more ecommerce solutions.

According to Omnichat co-founder Alan Chan, the development of the US$42.7 billion ecommerce industry is already at its mature stages. “Even small ecommerce companies attach great importance to indicators such as traffic, data analysis, membership management, and marketing conversion rate,” he said.

The startup said it had about 3,600 new customers by the end of 2019, with over 70% of which coming from Taiwan. It has also recently worked with well-known Taiwanese ecommerce brands including HH Herbal and Toyselect.

Omnichat was part of AppWorks’ accelerator program in 2018.