Shopistry Raises $2M to Simplify Headless Commerce

Shopistry Secures Seed Funding to Revolutionize Headless Commerce

Shopistry, a Canadian e-commerce startup, has announced the successful completion of a $2 million seed funding round. This investment will be utilized to further develop its suite of tools, integrations, services, and managed infrastructure designed to facilitate online scaling for brands.

Founded in 2019 by Jaafer Haidar and Tariq Zabian, Shopistry aims to redefine the approach to headless commerce. Haidar brings a wealth of experience as a serial technology entrepreneur with a proven track record in e-commerce and cloud software, previously operating as a venture capitalist. Zabian formerly served as a general manager at OLX, a prominent online classifieds platform.

A Modular Approach to E-commerce

Shopistry empowers businesses to construct highly personalized commerce experiences that are universally accessible. While anticipating the widespread adoption of headless architecture within the next five years, Haidar advocates for the term “modular” as a more accurate descriptor.

“We offer a modular system, which we term ‘headless without the headaches,’ providing a framework for managing APIs,” explained Haidar to TechCrunch. “Companies often allocate 50% of their budget to simply maintaining their systems post-launch. Similar to platforms like Shopify, we deliver comparable functionality, but with significantly greater flexibility and avoid being a rigid, monolithic system.”

Shopistry’s Product Suite

The company currently provides a comprehensive range of five core products:

• Shopistry Console: Allows brands to activate their preferred technology stack and make adjustments at any time without requiring a complete platform overhaul. It supports various e-commerce administrative tools, payment gateways, analytics solutions, and marketing functionalities.
• Shopistry Cloud: A managed infrastructure solution focused on optimizing performance, data handling, and service orchestration.
• Shopistry Storefront and Mobile: Tools for managing both web-based storefronts and mobile applications.
• Shopistry CMS: A data-driven, headless content management system enabling content creation for multi-channel publishing.
• Shopistry Services: Provides design and engineering support for brands requiring assistance.

Investment Highlights

The seed funding round saw participation from notable investors including Shoptalk founder Jonathan Weiner, Amar Varma of Hatch Labs, Garage Capital, Mantella Venture Partners, and Raiven Capital.

Duncan Hill, co-founder and general partner at Mantella Venture Partners, stated, “We at MVP are drawn to companies that can distill complexity, bringing innovations proven by large retailers to smaller and mid-sized businesses. Shopistry possesses both the team and the technology to become a key player in the evolution of e-commerce, making this an exciting investment.”

Current Clients and Future Plans

Shopistry is currently collaborating with retailers such as Honed and Oura Ring, assisting them in managing their online presence without incurring substantial costs, complexity, or the need for a large technical team.

Before seeking seed funding, Haidar and Zabian dedicated two years to developing their infrastructure while working with rapidly growing brands. The newly acquired capital will be directed towards further infrastructure development and the expansion of sales and marketing teams.

While specific growth metrics are not yet available, Haidar indicated that the company is experiencing customer base growth and anticipates sharing those figures in the coming year. Plans include enhancing platform flexibility, adding new integrations, and expanding platform support.

“Our immediate focus is on go-to-market strategy as we prepare for a major launch in the fourth quarter,” Haidar added. “Equally important is the post-sale experience, with a focus on creating exceptional customer journeys and streamlining back-office operations. Our goal is to provide the simplest way to control and manage data while maintaining a robust storefront.”