Softbank-backed Brazilian giftback platform CRM&BONUS acquires social media sales startup Zipper for $4.7 million

CRM&BONUS, a Softbank-backed Brazilian giftback platform, announced today it has acquired social media sales startup Zipper for 25 million reais ($4.7 million) in cash and part in shares.

“This acquisition allows us to increase offers to retailers to help them raise sales,” CRM&BONUS founder and CEO Alexandre Zolko told Reuters in an interview.

CRM&BONUS was founded in 2018 by Alexandre Zolko (CEO), Luiz Fernando Dias Guedes (COO), and Eduardo Luis dos Santos Vieira (CTO). The startup provides a platform that allows real-time control of giftback delivery to consumers, making it possible to measure the increases in billing and customer retention.

The creation of the platform enabled TVZ / MyShoes, a fashion company founded and owned by Zolko’s family, to measure sales growth of around 15%. These results encouraged the founders to expand the operation of the platform.

Zipper, on the other hand, creates personal e-commerce websites for salespeople of physical stores, enabling them to contact customers and offer them products, mainly through their mobile phones, and send targeted advertisements using geolocation to draw consumers to specific stores. Its clients include the subsidiary of German athletic wear Adidas and chocolate maker Kopenhagen.

Last year, CRM&BONUS raised over R$280 million led by Softbank to accelerate its global expansion plans and consolidate its position as the leading giftback platform in Brazil. It also acquired the restaurants platform ChefsClub for an undisclosed value. The startup recently began its operation in Mexico and Portugal.

The company was last valued at 1 billion reais ($189 million). Other backers in the round were Riverwood, followed by venture capital funds Volpe Capital e Igah Ventures. The startup reached annualized revenue of 50 million reais.

“We don’t burn cash, so we can use the funding round proceeds for expansion”, Zolko said. Zipper has also reached break even, he added.

To date,  CRM&BONUS has revolutionized the giftback market in Brazil. 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, L’Occitane, Alpagartas, Madeira, Grupo Soma, and Chilli Beans.