SingleInterface is a SaaS startup that offers tools to offline businesses to increase their revenue through leveraging the internet. It raised $30 million in its first external fundraising round as the Singaporean startup seeks to expand its international footprint and enhance products to make them more relevant to global brands.
While being offline is still prominent for organizations in large markets, including the US, Asia, and Europe, businesses have started adopting online marketing strategies to attract more customers and boost their revenues. The main reason for this is the growing number of internet users worldwide. Almost 67% of the world's population, or 5.4 billion people, are online, according to the International Telecommunication Union, showing a 4.7% growth since 2022. In contrast, the UN agency reported that the global offline population has steadily decreased to 2.6 billion in 2023.
However, finding a comprehensive solution for internet access is challenging. Some solutions may help businesses build websites, while others may only be useful for search engine visibility. Similarly, some solutions are limited to specific sectors. SingleInterface addresses this issue by providing a product package to multi-location brands, whether in the food and beverage, retail, or automotive sectors.
The startup works with over 400 multi-location brands across India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East to help them manage the digital presence of their physical stores and outlets. It provides tools to enable businesses to encourage online customer engagement, improve visibility through search engines and map listings, manage online feedback and reviews, and even build websites with SEO management, providing insights for each business location. The startup also uses artificial intelligence to simplify businesses’ digitalization journey for thousands of stores at once.
Tarun Sovani, Co-founder and CEO of SingleInterface, told TechCrunch that the startup helps businesses increase their revenues by 15-20% through its products.
"Having strategic marketing options at the storefront level becomes an extremely daunting task for a brand because planning thousands of marketing strategies for thousands of stores is never easy. This is where the automation piece of AI comes into play, enabling better marketing ROI for each store," he said in an interview.
Aside from enabling businesses to create detailed websites at the storefront level of their local stores, SingleInterface allows them to run local offers and events at a specific location and engage in two-way communication through WhatsApp, Facebook, and Google Business Messages. The startup also helps multi-location brands understand why some stores have poor ratings while others have four or five-star ratings. Moreover, it helps run online promotional campaigns for different locations from a single source and optimize them based on their local competitors, market dynamics, and unique business hours.
SingleInterface already counts among its clients brands like KFC, Pizza Hut, Nissan, Apollo Tyres, HDFC Bank, and TVS Motors, as well as major Indian conglomerates, including Tata Group, Reliance Group, Aditya Birla Group, and Bajaj Group. It is also expanding in Southeast Asia and Australia and is looking to enter Japan and Korea shortly and expand in the Middle East.
Led by Singapore's growing investment company, Asia Partners, with participation from PayPal Ventures in the entire funding round, the startup plans to use the new funds to expand its geographic presence, continue investing in its products, and further enhance the consumer experience, Sovani told TechCrunch.
Prior to the recent funding round, SingleInterface struggled. Sovani and Harish H. B, founders of consumer internet investors and entrepreneurship builder Smiley Group, together founded the startup in 2015. However, Sovani said it was in 2017 when she left and began offering its tools to clients.
Today, SingleInterface has a team of around 235 people, most of whom are based in India, with its development center in New Delhi. Sovani said the startup plans to add many more people in the Asia-Pacific region to expand its presence.
"We are excited to collaborate with Tarun, Harish, and the SingleInterface team to support their growth aspirations in India and globally. SingleInterface has shown an exceptional track record of fostering customer engagement and commerce for large organizations over the years and has established itself as a prominent player in the region, successfully combining both offline and online customer journeys to drive growth for local physical outlets. Oliver Rippel, Co-founder of Asia Partners, said in a prepared statement.
