StoreConnect , a fully integrated ecommerce solution, has raised USD 9 million in a seed round with lead investor Bellini Capital, aiming to address the challenges SMBs face within the ecommerce landscape. With this funding round, StoreConnect is able to expand further its work on simplifying ecommerce complexities through its comprehensive all-in-one solution for small and medium-sized businesses.

The importance of this funding also lies in StoreConnect's aim to eliminate major barriers, allowing SMBs to connect with more customers, thereby possibly levelling the playing field in the ecommerce arena. A new approach: Customer Commerce Customer Commerce is a user-driven approach that allows small and medium-sized businesses to forge connections with a brand-new range of customers, that may have previously been out of reach. This approach shifts their interactions and helps to accelerate transactions, opening up new avenues of growth, profitability, and scalability, all at an affordable price tag.

By embracing this, SMBs have been able to see opportunities for expansion and favourable outcomes across various avenues of online revenue. Built on Salesforce, this approach by the company has garnered the support of over 60 Salesforce Solution Integration partners within the last 24 months and is currently on a run rate of USD 50 million by 2028. The raised funds will then be utilised to expand StoreConnect's global reach by hiring a dynamic sales team, advancing technology to enhance customer experience, as well as expanding its partner network, which includes Salesforce solution integration partners. Current challenges possibly faced by SMBs: SMBs struggle to sustain growth and longevity.

About 34% of online stores withdraw their business within a year, with average lifespans being about 143 days.   The high number of apps (or plugins) available in the marketplace leads SMBs into a heavy evaluation process to find the right fit.    For these businesses, adding just six customer-facing apps can inflate load times significantly. This slowdown can possibly sabotage user experience and affect sales conversions. According to SEO specialist Neil Patel, pages taking over six seconds to load lose half of their visitors, impacting traffic and revenue generation.

Swift page speed is essential for customer engagement and business success.  Having to balance functionality and performance: SMBs are advised to limit apps to a manageable number for a comprehensive online store. Therefore, finding the right apps out of the numerous plugins available can take away valuable time from small business owners. More about StoreConnect Based in the US, StoreConnect has one main aim, which is to help small and medium-sized businesses become scalable Customer Companies powered by Salesforce.

The company's clients do not require multiple SaaS systems connected by plugins to manage their online, in-store POS, and in-person Customer Commerce business systems. StoreConnect works on providing its customers a solution without the need to ‘replatform’ no matter how fast they grow in size, product offerings or regions. Being built on Salesforce allows StoreConnect customers to update their websites, funnels, and content in real-time, allowing for a competitive advantage.

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