Blueprint has taken quite a unique approach to messaging. This approach has now seen the UK-based startup close a seed round with €1.1 million to show for it. Led by Magnus Rausing’s MAHR Projects and including Founders Factory and Hambro Perks, these funds will be used to ramp up the development of what it refers to as its “true conversational commerce platform.” Blueprint essentially allows consumers to purchase products and speak to brands by sending an SMS or shooting them a message on WhatsApp. With this approach, we could see our communication models disrupted for the better.
A Blueprint for New Payment and Communication Models
Blueprint is quite a young startup. Founded in London in 2019, it aims to transform how we regularly communicate with brands. Dependant on email, online communication tools and outdated checkout systems, our retail processes have become rather standardised in recent years. Blueprint hopes to change all of this by utilising a mixture of sophisticated natural language processing and machine learning in tandem with real-world customer service agents.
The startup is currently collaborating with a variety of wellness, health, home and beauty brands to help them shift their customer relationship towards the centre of their platforms. With Blueprint, you can send just one message and have your purchase confirmed. This clearer and more fluid customer communication model is at the core of Blueprint. Its approach also benefits brands by supplying them with higher retention rates and a more transparent ROI on marketing. With more than 200 companies already signed on, co-founders Harvey Hodd (CEO) and Rory Jeffries (COO) hope to launch the website in Q3 of this year.
Harvey Hodd, CEO and co-founder of Blueprint, was delighted by the recent attention the company has garnered: “We started Blueprint following years of experience struggling with the slow, disconnected and impersonal nature of marketing and the clunkiness of purchasing online. At the same time, consumers have become fatigued with long-term, fixed subscription services that don’t offer them flexibility in purchasing. We’re blurring the lines between conversation and commerce to create a modern purchasing experience. This new investment will help us push further to break down the barriers that previously held both consumers and vendors hostage.”
Source: EU-Startups