Paris-based startup Reelevant aims to help customers navigate the crowded world of digital marketing by transforming personalization from a mere buzzword into reality.
Founded in 2018 by repeat entrepreneur Vincent Martinet, the martech startup is pushing the boundaries of mass marketing by introducing real-time, hyper-personalized content delivery across all digital customer touchpoints
Having achieved profitability in 2023, the startup recently secured a €6 million Series A raise led by Seventure Partners, with participation from Go Capital and notable business angel Nathalie Balla, former CEO of La Redoute.
This investment aims to propel Reelevant’s international expansion and maintain its edge in the martech landscape.
“We want Reelevant to be as ubiquitous as ‘fridge’ or ‘Kleenex’," Martinet said. "More than just a product, but a standard that has transformed the industry.”
From Simplemail to Reelevant
Vincent Martinet’s entrepreneurial journey began with the sale of his previous venture, an email marketing platform, SimpleMail, to Canadian firm Cakemail in 2016.
This experience revealed a critical flaw in marketing automation: the overreliance on customer segmentation that overlooks the unique preferences and behaviors of individual customers.
“Creating customer groups like ‘VIP’ or ‘high spenders’ is company-centric, not customer-centric,” Martinet explained. “It requires significant manpower to craft these segments and targeted messages, which aren’t truly personalized, especially for companies with millions of clients.”
The Mechanics of Real-Time Personalization
Reelevant shifts from a push to a pull marketing model by delivering the right message to the customer at the right moment. By tracking online consumer behavior, their platform automates the creation of personalized content, adapting in real time to each customer’s behavior, context, and interactions with the brand.
This ensures that every interaction - be it via email, app, website, or messaging service - is tailored to the individual’s preferences and lifecycle stage.
At the core of Reelevant’s platform is its ability to generate and adjust automated content dynamically. When a customer opens an email, the content displayed can change based on various factors such as location, weather conditions, device used, and browsing behavior. For instance, a customer opening an email on a rainy day might see promotions for waterproof gear, while the same email opened in sunny weather could showcase sunglasses and summer apparel.
This level of personalization extends beyond emails. Reelevant’s platform integrates with various digital touchpoints, including websites, mobile apps, SMS, and WhatsApp, ensuring a cohesive and personalized customer experience across all channels.
Decathlon Case Study
Consider Decathlon a leading sports retailer. A customer who purchases running shoes might receive follow-up emails about shoe maintenance or training tips, rather than generic camping gear promotions. If the customer uses Decathlon’s training app, Reelevant can further personalize content based on their running habits and local weather conditions. “We aim to create a lifecycle of information that’s just for you,” Martinet noted.
When asked whether this level of personalization is seen as being intrusive Martinet said, “When you walk into a Dior boutique, you expect personalized service. Providing genuine assistance isn’t seen as intrusive; it’s valued.”
Reelevant applies this philosophy digitally, ensuring that content is adapted to customer behavior and reducing email frequency if there’s no engagement.
Under the Hood: Prioritizing Speed and Flexibility
Unlike many modern platforms that rely on cloud-based solutions, Reelevant operates its own servers. This decision stems from the need for rapid data processing and real-time content generation. The platform is designed to handle vast amounts of data swiftly, enabling it to deliver personalized content in milliseconds.
Reelevant’s architecture includes a Datahub that aggregates data from various sources (Salesforce, Snowflake, Tag Manager, LiveRamp etc.) breaking down silos between CRM systems, in-store data, pricing, stock levels, and customer interactions. This centralized data approach allows for more accurate and timely personalization.
“We process billions of data points weekly, updating in real time,” Martinet said. “Our system isn’t based on predefined data models; it adapts to the client’s existing data structures.”
Business Model and Growth
Reelevant’s technology has been adopted by major French brands like Clarins, L'Oréal, Sephora, Lacoste, Decathlon, and Carrefour. The supermarket has recently replaced its traditional printed catalogues with Reelevant's platform to propose personalized digital offers to its customers. The tool analyzes customer data and local store inventories to automatically generate campaigns on relevant and available in-store promotions to enhance the weekly grocery shop experience.
Operating on a subscription-based model, Reelevant offers its platform to enterprise clients seeking to enhance their marketing personalization.
The company’s impact is measurable: an 80% revenue growth last year, a 120% net client retention rate, and zero customer churn. Over 20% of growth came from upselling to existing clients.
These metrics convinced investors such as Seventure Partners to lead the recent funding, with participation from Go Capital and business angels like Nathalie Balla, former CEO of La Redoute, which was sold to Galérie Lafayette a few years back for more than €1 billion euros.
Looking Ahead
Reelevant plans to use the funds to hire new talent and double the size of its 20-person team, focusing on marketing and sales experts. The startup is also looking to expand internationally. Although not yet fully decided, Martinet thinks that focusing on markets like the UK could be a good first step while being cautious about the complex political landscape in the US.
The company is also investing in AI to further automate and personalize marketing efforts. “AI-driven agents offer a huge opportunity,” Martinet said. “It’s like having a marketer for every customer, enabling us to replace low-value tasks and focus on strategic initiatives.”
