In this episode of The Trajectory Africa, Mark Kiarie, Co-founder and CEO of Chpter, explains conversational commerce and how his company uses AI to help businesses serve buyers where they already are, on social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Instagram. Chpter enables them to respond instantly to customers, transforming DMs into sales. Mark also shares how Chpter is building digital infrastructure for *Commerce 3.0*, where chat messages drive revenue for businesses that are selling online.

[0:00] - Introduction, podcasting and a sneaker store success story
[7:19] - Chpter’s value proposition and customers 
[12:14] - Defining conversational commerce 
[20:09] - Chpter’s origin story and product-market fit
[35:00] - Chpter’s approach to customer acquisition
[41:37] - How Chpter makes money
[52:46] - Creating value to capture value
[1:04:18] - The future of digital commerce and a first principle on building in the sector

Recommendations:

• Chpter podcast: Chpter brings together top experts and innovators in the business world to share their experiences, strategies, and lessons learned.

• Chasing Outliers: Why Context Matters for Early Stage Investing in Africa. A report I co-authored on VC investing in Africa. 

Connect on social media:

• Mark Kiarie on LinkedIn and @markkiaria_ on X
• Chpter. on LinkedIn and @chpter_co on X
• The Trajectory Africa on LinkedIn and @trajectoryafrica.bsky.social on Bluesky
• Tayo Akinyemi on LinkedIn, X, and @TayoAkinyemi.bsky.social on Bluesky