Tokyo-based Repro, the provider of mobile analytics tool under the same name, announced today that the company has fundraised 300 million yen (about $2.6 million) from Jafco, Voyage Ventures, and several angel investors. This follows their previous funding round where they raised 100 million yen (about $835,000) from DG Incubation, Brain Pad, and Shift back in May of the previous year.
Repro provides an SDK (software development kit) to support the development of apps for improved retention rate of users and UI (user interface) based on user behavior on mobile apps. When a user operates an app with an SDK installed, information such as the user’s method of operating the interface, the track record of that operation and the user’s facial expressions during that time are recorded.
Based on these functions, the platform provides developers with not only quantitative analysis such as funnel and retention analysis however, also qualitative analysis like reproducing user actions in the app leveraging recorded play-by-play video so that developers can instantly find what the problem is. Implementing in-app marketing features like push notification and in-app messaging, the platform helps developers improve the retention and conversation rates of their apps.
Since its official release in April of 2015, the platform has been adopted by major e-commerce sites, games, news media and other various apps from the IT industry, according to Repro CEO Yusuke Hirata:
The latest funding is to strengthen the foundation of our system development and hiring talents. At the same time, we would like to start our global expansion efforts, planning to conduct a test marketing in the overseas market followed by launching an overseas office next year.
Repro CEO Yusuke Hirata
While several of users are app developers in Japan, the company has been receiving inquiries from overseas developers despite no massive promotion and adopted by more than 1,400 mobile apps from 18 countries. Upon the funding at this time, the company wants to expand the implementation of its mobile app growth hack solution to fashion, real estate, automotive, human resource, and marriage counseling, and other non-IT sectors.
Leveraging their past experience of developing and implementing the solution, Repro provide wants to provide app developers with a more comprehensive solution rather than just offering an SDK.
Hirata explained:
When developers release their app, several of them definitely want to gain sales, customer satisfaction, or touch points with their users. Based on these strategies, we will offer growth hacking expertise for mobile app development such as setting KPIs [Key Performance Indicators] or magic numbers, which we've learned through serving 1,400 mobile apps.
Repro recently introduced a new API (application program interface) supporting mobile push notification. This allows business owners to integrate statistics from other sales channels like a website or a real store with their mobile app so that they can conduct more personalized marketing to each and every customer.
Hirata continued:
For ecommerce [companies] offering both a website and a mobile app, they can push a mobile notification via our platform to the smartphone of the users who have selected items to buy however, not yet completed the purchase on the website. By connecting both interfaces, we can allow ecommerce sites to offer a cross-channel experience for their customers.
As yet Repro is focused on mobile growth hacking, they may expand its support to a desktop or website interface in the future. Using the funds, the company plans to prepare for a global expansion without rest.
(By Shintaro Eguchi .Translated by Masaru Ikeda.)
This post was first published on The Bridge.