Groupon Acquires Presence AI to Enhance Booking Experience
August 08 2019 - 4:02PM
Business Wire
AI-powered messaging tool enables merchants to
drive bookings, engage with customers, cut calls and save time
Groupon (www.groupon.com) (NASDAQ: GRPN) today announced it has
acquired Presence AI (www.presence.ai)––an AI-powered text and
voice communications tool that enables and facilitates messaging
between customers and merchants. Terms of the transaction were not
disclosed.
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the full release here:
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Groupon has acquired Presence AI, an
AI-powered text and voice communications tool that enables and
facilitates messaging between customers and merchants. (Graphic:
Business Wire)
Consumers––especially millennials––vastly prefer messaging and
chat-based communications over phone calls.* Presence AI enables
merchants to answer to that trend by offering a 24/7 business
assistant that integrates with a merchant’s existing scheduling
software––or replace pen and paper––to accept and manage bookings,
provide instant answers to customer questions, remind people when
it’s time to re-book and much more.
“We’re pleased to welcome the Presence AI team and their booking
technology to Groupon. Booking is a key part of our voucherless
initiative aimed at improving the redemption experience, providing
always-on availability, giving consumers more reasons to buy
through Groupon and opening up our marketplace to a broader range
of merchants,” said Groupon Chief Product Officer Sarah Butterfass.
“Presence AI’s technology is very complementary to what we’ve been
building into our existing booking experience and will accelerate
our roadmap with its text- and chat-based interface.”
Groupon increased bookable inventory 12 percent year over year**
and booked tens of millions of diners, concert goers, spa visitors
and more in 2018. As the company transitions towards universal
bookability for certain services, Presence AI’s technology will
provide merchants with the capabilities to support this booking
vision.
“We’re very excited to join Groupon and continue transforming
client conversations through the use of artificial intelligence,”
said Presence AI co-founder and CEO Michel Meyer. “With more than 3
million text messages generated last year, Presence AI is saving
merchants time and generating additional revenues. We can’t wait to
bring our technology to more businesses.”
Presence AI was founded in 2015 in San Francisco and operates in
the health, beauty and wellness space, which is one of Groupon’s
largest categories. The company already has a number of key
integrations with popular booking software providers.
Presence AI was backed by the Amazon Alexa Fund and participated
in the 2018 Alexa Accelerator, powered by Techstars, which supports
early-stage startups using voice to deliver transformative customer
and business experiences.
*"The eMarketer Ecommerce Insights Survey" conducted by Bizrate
Insights. 1,230 US internet users ages 18+ were surveyed online in
August 2018
**2017 vs. 2018
About Presence AI
Founded in 2015, Presence AI (www.presence.ai) is an AI-powered
text and voice communication tool that enables and facilitates
messaging between customers and merchants. Presence AI’s tool
serves as a 24/7 virtual assistant that can integrate with a
merchant’s existing scheduling software––or replace pen and
paper––to accept and manage bookings, reschedulings and
confirmations, provide instant answers to customer questions,
remind people when it’s time to book another appointment and much
more. The company has a number of key integrations with popular
booking software providers.
About Groupon
Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) is building the daily habit in local
commerce, offering a vast mobile and online marketplace where
people discover and save on amazing things to do, see, eat and buy.
By enabling real-time commerce across local businesses, travel
destinations, consumer products and live events, shoppers can find
the best a city has to offer.
Groupon is redefining how small businesses attract and retain
customers by providing them with customizable and scalable
marketing tools and services to profitably grow their
businesses.
To download Groupon's top-rated mobile apps, visit
www.groupon.com/mobile. To search for great deals or subscribe to
Groupon emails, visit www.groupon.com. To learn more about the
company’s merchant solutions and how to work with Groupon, visit
www.groupon.com/merchant.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190808005858/en/
Media Contact: Groupon Nick Halliwell 312.999.3812
nhalliwell@groupon.com
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