In a world flooded with AI-generated content, one startup is betting that human insight still matters — especially in e-commerce. Remark, a rising player in the world of AI-powered e-commerce tools, just raised $16 million in Series A funding, bringing its total investment to $27 million. The round was led by Inspired Capital, with participation from Stripe, Neo, Spero Ventures, Shine Capital, and Visible Ventures.
Remark isn’t just building another chatbot. Instead, it’s blending real human expertise with AI models to create a more personalized shopping experience — one that mirrors the helpfulness of in-store retail staff. That hybrid approach is paying off: the company says its partners have seen a 10% net revenue lift thanks to more tailored advice and higher conversion rates.
Real People, Real Advice at AI Scale
Founded with the belief that online shopping shouldn’t feel isolating, Remark lets shoppers interact with vetted human experts during their purchasing journey. These experts ask meaningful, context-driven questions that guide users toward better buying decisions — like asking what type of stovetop a shopper uses when browsing cookware.
If a live expert isn’t available, shoppers are instantly connected to a custom AI persona trained on the expert’s interactions, ensuring quick and relevant assistance. This approach allows Remark to deliver helpful, on-brand answers at any time of day — without sacrificing accuracy.
The result? More confidence in buying decisions, reduced cart abandonment, and increased average order value.
Remark also pays its experts competitively. Those in the top 20% reportedly earn between $60,000 and $70,000 per year, simply by spending 15–20 hours per week advising users. Experts are paid per chat and also receive earnings when their AI counterpart converts a sale — an incentive model that blends performance and scale.
To keep quality high, Remark works with accreditation agencies to verify each expert’s credentials — a move CEO Theo Satloff compares to how Airbnb curates its experience providers. The platform now boasts a network of over 60,000 experts, up from 50,000 last year.
Reinventing the Online Shopping Experience
At the core of Remark’s strategy is a mission to bridge the massive gap between physical and online retail conversion rates. While in-store shopping often sees conversion rates between 30% and 35%, e-commerce lags at just 1.5%.
Satloff believes that’s because digital shoppers are left without answers. “People often have to ask their friends or search Reddit to make purchase decisions,” he explained. “In stores, you get help from someone who knows the product. At Remark, we’re bringing that kind of expert support to the online world.”
When a user visits a site powered by Remark, they’re greeted with dynamic, personalized questions that adapt based on the products they’re browsing. Clicking a question opens a real-time chat with an expert — or with their AI assistant — offering guidance tailored to the shopper’s preferences, location, and needs.
Experts are matched to users not only by product expertise, but also by geographic location — adding a layer of contextual relevance. To stay responsive, experts get mobile notifications and must claim chats within five to eight seconds to engage with a buyer.
In the background, Remark’s system dynamically rewrites content across the site based on user-expert conversations. This ensures that product pages are instantly updated with relevant information, making the shopping experience smarter and more intuitive.
New SaaS Model and Rapid Growth
Remark has also fine-tuned its business model. While it once took a cut of each sale, the company now charges based on site traffic through a SaaS pricing model, giving it more predictable revenue and healthier cash flow. This shift allows Remark to scale across a wider range of merchant sizes and categories.
Since raising $10 million in 2024, the startup has experienced 4x revenue growth, signaling that its model resonates with both merchants and customers alike.
Now, with the new funding, Remark plans to grow its team beyond 25 employees and invest heavily in model training and R&D, especially in areas that blend human input with AI automation.
What’s Next for Remark?
The next wave of features from Remark aims to deepen engagement even further. The company is developing tools that can automatically generate blog posts with expert product recommendations and plans to send personalized follow-up emails after a user chats with an expert — turning single interactions into longer-term customer relationships.
Investor Kamran Ali of Inspired Capital says Remark’s human-first approach is what drew their attention. “As AI floods the internet, the value of human insight will rise. Remark is ahead of the curve by embedding real people into the AI loop,” he said.
In an increasingly crowded field of AI-powered e-commerce tools, Remark’s blend of expert advice, smart automation, and dynamic content gives it a unique edge — and potentially a long runway for growth.
