CRM&BONUS, the first and only full service giftback platform in the world, announces that it has signed a deal for a 280 million BRL investment, which raises the company’s market value to 1 billion BRL. The round was led by SoftBank Latin American Fund, Riverwood Capital, Igah Ventures, and Volpe Capital.
Founded in 2018 by Alexandre Zolko with startup capital of only 30,000 BRL, CRM&BONUS was born to solve a problem in his family’s fashion company (TVZ / MyShoes): drive sales growth through loyalty tools that are appealing to consumers and also easy for store employees to use. Zolko, together with Luiz Fernando Dias Guedes (COO) and Eduardo Luis dos Santos Vieira (CTO), created the CRM BONUS, a platform that allows real-time control of giftback delivery to consumers, making it possible to measure the increase in billing and customer retention. At the time, the creation of platform enabled TVZ / MyShoes to see real growth in sales of around 15%. This indicator of growth encouraged the entrepreneurs to expand the operation of the platform to the entire market.
Quickly, CRM&BONUS revolutionized the giftback market in Brazil, becoming the first and only full service giftback platform in the world. Currently, the solution serves more than 12,000 physical stores and e-commerce companies in Brazil and Portugal, with renowned clients such as Ambev, Arezzo, Vivara, Itaú, Adidas, Loccitane, Alpagartas, Madeira Madeira, Grupo Soma and Chilli Beans. The company’s mission is to increase the sale and profit of any store owner in the world, regardless of the size and segment, from 5% to 20%, up to three months. If the growth target is not reached, nothing is charged from the store owner – 98% of retailers achieve the result, according to Zolko.
The purpose of the financial support, according to Zolko, is to scale the company and focus on robust growth. “We have a real opportunity to take our platform and methodology around the world, helping hundreds of thousands stores to sell more and profit faster. Our main focus will be team and product, as we intend to quickly bring the CRMPAY component in Brazil, enabling our 15 modules to service stores, such as bars and restaurants, which concentrate an addressable market of more than 1 million businesses in Brazil,” reveals the Zolko.
In addition to expanding nationwide, the startup has plans to increase the international offer next year. “We are very satisfied with the obtained results in Portugal so far, and in 2022 we intend to open offices in at least five new countries, focusing on the USA and Europe,” added Zolko.
“We’re excited to lead this round in a company that has a high level of innovation as CRM&BONUS. The quality of the platform is the materialization of Zolko’s entrepreneur vision and his team, that goes beyond Brazil’s and Latin America’s borders. The company represents a big opportunity of global growth, addressing sales issues from hundreds of businesses, with a low cost and an excellent ROI”, says Alex Szapiro, Operating Partner and Head of SoftBank in Brazil.
“We are impressed with Zolko and the CRM&Bonus team for their vision and execution in building one of the leading loyalty and giftback platforms in Brazil,” said Francisco Alvarez-Demalde, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Riverwood Capital. “Bootstrapped until now and with a fanatic focus on customer success, CRM&Bonus has built a scalable and easy to adopt software solution for retailers, merchants, and brands to foster purchaser loyalty, understand and engage with consumers, and improve recurrency, driving more revenues and better service.”
“CRM&Bonus has an incredible giftback technology and offering with broad appeal for any size retailer in any location,” said Joaquim Lima, Partner, Riverwood Capital. “I look forward to working alongside Zolko on the Board and supporting the entire team on their scalability journey as CRM&Bonus reinforces its positioning as the dominant loyalty platform.”
About CRM&BONUS
CRM&BONUS is the first and only full service giftback platform in the world. It is a complete software and consultancy with 15 modules, such as Authenticated Loyalty, Member Get Member (MGM), Relationship Rules, Mass Reactivations, B2B Bonus, NPS and others. No setup is needed and the company offers 90 days money back guarantee in case the retailer does not increase sales and profit, regardless of size and segment, from 5% to 20%. Through the giftback tool and consultancy, it’s applied bonus and rewards campaigns for the brand’s customers. Currently, with renowned clients such as Ambev, Arezzo, Vivara, Itaú, Adidas, Loccitane, Alpagartas and Chilli Beans.