ShoppingGives: Purpose-Driven Commerce by CPGIO

Background

ShoppingGives, established in 2011 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, is a social impact commerce platform dedicated to integrating charitable giving into the retail experience. The company's mission is to inspire purpose in everyday transactions by enabling businesses to incorporate social impact into their go-to-market strategies, allowing consumers to align their purchases with personal values, and facilitating nonprofits in receiving donations seamlessly.

Key Strategic Focus

ShoppingGives focuses on providing a seamless giving experience during the shopping journey, enabling customers to support their favorite causes with each purchase. The platform offers a suite of social impact marketing technologies that allow retailers to integrate cause marketing across various channels, enhancing customer engagement and loyalty. By handling the complexities of cause marketing regulation, reporting, and donation management, ShoppingGives empowers brands to create authentic, value-aligned customer experiences.

Financials and Funding

As of 2024, ShoppingGives reported a revenue of $3.1 million, marking a 36.87% year-over-year growth from $2.3 million in 2023. The company has raised a total of $8.2 million in funding. In September 2020, ShoppingGives secured a $5.5 million Series Seed round led by Caffeinated Capital, with participation from investors including Tuesday Capital, SciFi VC, Background Capital, Red Dog Capital, 20VC, Global Founders Capital, Big Future Fund, Rogue Capital, Night Capital, Manresa Ventures, and Sugar Capital. In December 2020, Serena Ventures, Serena Williams' venture capital firm, also invested in ShoppingGives.

Technological Platform and Innovation

ShoppingGives offers a robust platform that integrates seamlessly with various eCommerce systems, including Shopify, BigCommerce, and Salesforce Commerce Cloud. The platform enables retailers to feature causes or nonprofits that align with their brand values, allowing customers to select and support their preferred charities directly at checkout. This integration is designed to be implemented in less than 30 minutes, providing a fully managed, tax-deductible donation process.

In May 2022, ShoppingGives expanded its capabilities by launching Customer Round-Up Donations for Shopify POS, enabling merchants to engage customers in giving back through in-store purchases. The platform's versatility and commitment to social impact have been recognized with the "Best Emerging Technology" award by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) in 2021.

Leadership Team

Ronny Sage, Founder and CEO: With a background in digital strategy and experience working with Fortune 500 retailers, Ronny founded ShoppingGives to bridge the gap between commerce and social impact. He is active in the Chicago community and serves on the board of GoCivic.

Lissette Alvarez, Vice President of Account Management: Joining the company in February 2022, Lissette brings extensive experience in B2B partnerships and marketing from her tenure at companies like Rakuten and Google. She leads relationships with retail and brand partners, focusing on expanding client relationships and developing strategies to realize impact for both retailers and nonprofits.

Leadership Changes

In February 2022, ShoppingGives appointed Lissette Alvarez as Vice President of Account Management. She brings a wealth of experience in B2B partnerships and marketing, having previously worked at Rakuten and Google.

Competitor Profile

Market Insights and Dynamics

The social impact commerce sector is experiencing significant growth as consumers increasingly seek to support brands that align with their values. This trend is driving retailers to integrate cause marketing into their business strategies to enhance customer engagement and loyalty.

Competitor Analysis

ShoppingGives operates in a competitive landscape with several notable players:

Kvantuminc: Specializes in combining Voice of Consumer analytics with Marketing Mix & Attribution to optimize marketing impact and brand equity-driven sales.

Visionable: Provides a video conferencing platform designed to redefine business meetings by breaking down physical and virtual barriers between people and technology.

Defense Balance: Offers an online platform focused on training and raising awareness of information security, addressing the needs of IT and security sectors.

Snipe-IT: Provides SaaS solutions for small business IT, including an open-source project for IT asset management.

Salonist.io: A cloud-based software platform tailored for the efficient management of spas, salons, and fitness studios, offering features like appointment scheduling and customer management.

Strategic Collaborations and Partnerships

ShoppingGives has established significant partnerships to enhance its platform and reach:

PayPal Giving Fund: In August 2019, ShoppingGives partnered with PayPal Giving Fund to facilitate seamless donations between retailers, nonprofits, and customers, enabling charities to receive donations through PayPal's secure platform.

Shopify Plus Certification: In July 2022, ShoppingGives earned Shopify Plus Certification, recognizing its app's top-tier security, technical performance, and excellent customer support.

goodMRKT: In May 2022, ShoppingGives partnered with goodMRKT to launch Customer Round-Up Donations for Shopify POS, enabling merchants to engage customers in giving back through in-store purchases.

Operational Insights

ShoppingGives differentiates itself by offering a comprehensive, turn-key solution for integrating social impact into the retail experience. By handling the complexities of cause marketing regulation and donation management, the company allows retailers to focus on their core business while enhancing customer engagement through values-aligned initiatives. This approach positions ShoppingGives as a leader in the growing Giving Economy, enabling brands to build authentic relationships with consumers and drive business growth through purpose-driven commerce.

Strategic Opportunities and Future Directions

Looking ahead, ShoppingGives aims to expand its platform's capabilities and reach:

Omnichannel Integration: Continuing to develop integrations with various eCommerce and point-of-sale systems to provide a seamless giving experience across all customer touchpoints.

Data-Driven Insights: Leveraging customer donation data to offer retailers actionable insights for personalized marketing and engagement strategies.

Global Expansion: Exploring opportunities to extend the platform's reach to international markets, enabling more retailers and consumers to participate in purpose-driven commerce.

By focusing on these strategic areas, ShoppingGives is well-positioned to continue its growth and impact in the social impact commerce sector.