Facebook to buy customer-service startup Kustomer

Reuters

1st Dec 2020

Facebook said it will buy customer service startup Kustomer, as the world’s largest social network forays further into e-commerce.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed, however The Wall Street Journal, which first reported about the acquisition, said the deal valued Kustomer at $1 billion.

Kustomer allows businesses to aggregate customer conversations from various channels into a single-screen, and also to automate some of the responses to buyers. The firm already offers its services on Facebook Messenger and Instagram.

Earlier this year, Facebook launched Shops, a service that allows businesses to display and sell products across its platforms.

• Reporting by Eva Mathews and Munsif Vengattil.