Why We Led the Series A in Route

I am excited to announce that Craft led the $35 million Series A round for Route earlier this year and I joined the Board. Route is an end-to-end Ecommerce solution that empowers both consumers and brands. Route’s mobile app is revolutionizing Ecommerce by helping consumers track, protect, and manage all their online orders, allowing brands large and small to enhance their post-purchase experience.

Route is one of the fastest-growing startups we’ve ever seen. The company, led by visionary serial entrepreneur, Evan Walker, is redefining Ecommerce for consumers and merchants, starting with the post-purchase experience.

The Problem

Ecommerce penetration doubled from 8% in 2012 to 16% in 2019 according to Digital Commerce 360, a trend that has only accelerated because of COVID as shown in this McKinsey analysis:

The increasing digitalization of society over the last 10 years has transformed the retail experience completely. Worldwide Ecommerce sales were only at $572B in 2010. Fast forward to present day and global Ecommerce sales are expected to hit nearly $4T this year. In the space of just 10 years, an entirely new ecosystem has developed for online consumers. Almost every facet of the customer experience has seen innovation and progress… except the post-purchase experience.

In a traditional brick and mortar retailer, the customer checks out and leaves with their purchase. In contrast, the online checkout and delivery has always been a clunky, unintuitive nightmare. Where Is My Order (WISMO) inquires often make up 70–80% of customer service related calls during peak season. Protecting valuable packages against loss, theft, or damage is even harder.

With more home deliveries in 2020 than ever before, consumers are also experiencing a record number of stolen packages, as documented by the New York Times. The need to easily track and protect packages has never been more critical. At the same time, Amazon has set a high bar for consumer expectations. Shoppers have been trained to expect one-day shipping on many items, package tracking baked into the product, and a liberal return/refund policy when something goes awry. Merchants needed a way to level the playing field to compete with the 800 pound gorilla.

Enter Route

Route’s founder Evan Walker has been in the Ecommerce space for over two decades, having started his first company at the age of 14, one of the first online software retailers. Since then, he has successfully owned and sold a handful of CPG brands, started an advertising agency, and traveled the world. It was during these travels, as he was purchasing a vintage trunk in Italy and attempting to ship it back to the United States, that he first had the idea for Route. He realized the massive opportunity to create an entirely new Ecommerce experience that eliminated pain points and empowered both consumers and merchants. Protection and tracking for packages was just the beginning!

Now, just over two years later, Evan and the exceptional leadership team he has brought together have put Route on the map as a major player in the Ecommerce ecosystem. Route’s mobile app allows consumers to visually track all their online orders — from Amazon to their favorite emerging brands — in one place for the first time. The company also provides package protection and order management in the checkout flow, which is valuable in the event that a package is lost, stolen or damaged. Merchants see huge benefits when they partner with Route because they are able to increase customer loyalty and lifetime value.

Evan’s vision for reinventing the Ecommerce experience is exhilarating and his passion is infectious: over 300 employees (200 during the COVID-19 pandemic alone) including top tier talent from companies such as Snapchat, Pinterest, and Qualtrics have coalesced around their shared mission. Route currently serves over 6,000 merchants and has built seamless integrations with Ecommerce platforms including Shopify, Magento, Bigcommerce and WooComerce.

The “Discover” Experience

With the recently launched “Discover” feature in early access, Route’s users can discover brands and products in addition to tracking their packages. Within the Route app, brands connect with consumers through editorial-style photos and videos, while also sharing product recommendations based on purchase history and market trends. By connecting consumers to products and brands they love, “Discover” further enhances Route’s mission of profoundly enhancing the Ecommerce experience.

It’s rare that we find a business that has found product market fit, built a team of more than 300 motivated employees and scaled to eight-figure revenue in less than 2 years. We’re very excited to be on this journey with the Route team. This is just the beginning.

Welcome to the Craft family, Evan and team!