Boom AI

What do they actually do

Boom AI builds an AI assistant for e‑commerce brands that answers customer questions and drives sales across a store’s website chat and social messaging channels. It connects to Shopify and channels like Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, and Facebook to reply instantly, turn comments/DMs into conversations, follow up on abandoned carts, and run simple post‑purchase/re‑engagement workflows with minimal setup useboom.ai, YC profile.

The product is positioned for small teams that need 24/7 coverage without hiring, focusing on fast, plug‑and‑play onboarding and pragmatic workflows (FAQ responses, cart recovery, restock/retention nudges) rather than heavy customization useboom.ai, YC profile.

Who are their target customer(s)

• Small DTC Shopify stores with tiny support teams: They receive steady product and order questions but can’t respond quickly, so simple inquiries go unanswered and sales stall. They want a plug‑and‑play agent that starts answering chats instantly without heavy setup.
• Social‑first sellers using Instagram/WhatsApp/TikTok/Facebook to sell: They miss sales when DMs and comments pile up and don’t get converted into conversations. They need automation that turns social engagement into replies and conversions across those channels.
• Stores with high cart abandonment and low checkout conversion: They drive traffic but lose most visitors before purchase and lack automated recovery workflows. They want abandoned‑cart followups that bring shoppers back to complete checkout.
• SMB e‑commerce brands focused on retention without marketing bandwidth: They can’t run personalized post‑purchase campaigns, restock alerts, or recommendations at scale. They need simple, automated campaigns to lift repeat purchase rates.
• Brands selling across time zones or with after‑hours customers: A large share of messages arrive outside business hours and go unanswered, costing immediate sales and loyalty. They need reliable 24/7 instant responses.

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Hand‑sell with white‑glove onboarding to DTC Shopify stores in founders’ and YC networks; offer short free pilots and do setup/tuning to show immediate value useboom.ai, YC profile.
• First 50: Turn successful pilots into referral loops and agency introductions; publish brief case studies and run targeted outreach to stores with traffic but low conversion, highlighting specific workflows that drove results (social DMs, cart recovery, 24/7 responses) useboom.ai.
• First 100: Launch a low‑friction self‑serve path with templates (FAQ, cart recovery, comment‑to‑DM), list/optimize in Shopify distribution channels, and recruit reseller/creator partners; use performance testimonials and playbooks to reduce sales friction useboom.ai, YC profile.

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

Analyst estimates place customer‑service automation and AI‑for‑customer‑service in the multi‑billion range by 2030 (e.g., ~$17.9B for customer service automation; AI for customer service estimates even larger) Verified Market Reports, MarketsandMarkets.

Bottom-up calculation:

Using BuiltWith’s ~6.35M live Shopify sites as the concrete base, a mid‑case scenario (10% adoption at ~$600/year ARPU) implies roughly ~$380M/year in addressable subscription revenue; outcomes range from tens of millions to a few billion depending on adoption/ARPU BuiltWith. Expanding beyond Shopify to the broader e‑commerce site universe increases the ceiling but requires broader integrations and channel coverage SellersCommerce.

Assumptions:

• Base merchant pool: ~6.35M live Shopify sites (BuiltWith).
• ARPU scenarios: ~$240/$600/$1,800 per merchant per year (benchmarked to SMB helpdesk/chatbot pricing) Gorgias pricing, Re:amaze pricing.
• Adoption scenarios modeled at ~2% / 10% / 25% of Shopify merchants.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Gorgias: Shopify‑focused helpdesk with automation and social integrations; a common choice for DTC brands looking to centralize support.
• Re:amaze: E‑commerce helpdesk and live chat with chatbots and multi‑channel support (email, chat, social), used by many Shopify stores.
• Tidio: Live chat and AI chatbots for SMB e‑commerce, including Shopify integrations and automated responses.
• Manychat: Automation for Instagram and Facebook DMs and comments‑to‑DM, aimed at turning social engagement into conversations and sales.
• Heyday by Hootsuite: Retail‑focused AI chatbot for e‑commerce and social messaging channels, positioned for conversational commerce use cases.