Needle raises $1.2 million for commerce chat

New company wants to change how consumers shop online, give them experts to chat with

Needle, a new company that wants to help integrate chat into commerce sites, has raised $1.2 million of a planned $2 million round, according to an SEC filing. The company has not yet replied to comment.
 
Besides CEO Morgan Lynch and CTO Mikko Valimaki, names on the filing include angel investors Jeff Kearl (CEO of Stance) and Sam Decker (CMO of Bazaarvoice).
 
While online retailers already provide shoppers with a bevy of information--customer reviews, links to professional reviews, videos, pictures and more--to help them make their decision, Needle wants to do more by giving consumers a tool that will enable them to chat with experts in real-time. They are shooting for an “in-store experience,” one where you can actually direct questions to a person who knows what they’re talking about.

To achieve that end, Needle needs experts. Using the proven crowdsourcing model, the company lets anyone apply to be a “Needler.” Potential Needlers fill out an application in which they share their personal interests and hobbies, their favorite brands and stores, and any other information which will help Needle match the applicant to opportunities in helping shoppers. Needlers get paid with cash and points that can be redeemed for products.

Presumably, the service will have a system in place to rank or rate experts employed by Needle.

Just from initial appearances, this looks like it has the chance to revolutionize how people shop online.

CEO Morgan Lynch, who leads the lean five-person team at Needle, previously founded and served as chief executive at Logoworks, a design provider for small businesses which was sold to HP in 2007. The rest of the staff come from companies as diverse as Blue Coat Systems (network optimizer), OrangeSoda (Internet marketing), Nu Skin (skin care) and Beretta (firearms).