Like many startup stories, socketware began as little more than a sketch on a napkin – the result of a discussion on “big data” between entrepreneurs dining at an Atlanta-based Waffle House. The concept: to create applications that can help businesses find, store, organize and integrate the vast amount of living data created each day.
“The world has become so digital, which helps to generate ‘living’ data – text messages, Facebook posts, tweets,” said co-founder and COO Joe Reger, Jr. “From a commerce standpoint, there are a lot of opportunities to learn, educate and act based on that data. So our goal was to find a way to organize this information and make it accessible and actionable for businesses.”
Fast forward 10 months and that mission is a reality. Earlier this week, the ATDC member launched its first product – called bmbleb – at Imagine eCommerce in Las Vegas. The premiere global conference draws hundreds of merchants, partners, developers and fans of Magento, the industry’s fastest growing eCommerce platform.
So far, the buzz over bmbleb has been significant, says Allen Nance, an experienced entrepreneur serving as an advisor and angel investor for the company.
“All early signs are that people love it,” said Nance. “The feedback on the brand and the design has been impeccable. Bmbleb is fully integrated into the largest eCommerce system in the world. If you’re a Magento user, you can install bmbleb and it will enhance all of your existing customer records, but even more important, it will drive specific recommendations in the form of alerts.”
Through the application, bmbleb users have access to social media, demographic and proclivity-to-buy data such as: age, gender, employment, demographics, income, social media and homeowner information. The idea is that better data equals more revenue. If, for example, one of your customers moves or gets married or has a baby, you would be alerted and market to them accordingly.
Socketware recently began beta testing for the product and is set to launch a funding round for the official product launch this spring. They hope to have 100 beta users within a month.
Now focused on product development, the startup plans to utilize ATDC’s resources and technology guidance as they move into their next phase of growth. Their goals for the future? To integrate with other leading platforms such as Shopify and ShopVisible, as well as continue to innovate how e-commerce websites use data to drive more revenue.
“Our hope is that socketware as a big data engine starts to spawn numerous other products and in other verticals beyond eCommerce,” said Reger.