Hootsuite, the Vancouver, B.C.-based social media management platform, announced Tuesday that it is acquiring Heyday, a conversational AI platform, for about $48 million USD.
The acquisition will enable Hootsuite users to message their customers directly with an AI-enabled chat and video function and allow brands to respond to customers in real time. Heyday integrates with e-commerce platforms and branded websites and apps.
“The new generation of shoppers want to engage with brands by making purchases and receiving real-time customer service on social,” Hootsuite CEO Tom Keiser said in a news release. “The relationship starts and ends on social, so we’re excited to offer brands a better way to deliver successful customer experiences at scale.”
Hootsuite has raised nearly $300 million to date and has more than 18 million customers, 4,000 enterprise customers and 200,000 paying customers. It acquired the customer engagement platform Sparkcentral in January.
Founded in 2017, Montreal-based Heyday had raised about $6.7 million USD to date. Heyday’s 78 employees will join the more than 1,000 who work for Hootsuite.
