Tipti case study
How Tipti transformed grocery shopping in Ecuador with Sendbird's Chat
A high-touch customer messaging experience in need of efficiency
Tipti, Ecuador’s largest e-commerce marketplace for supermarket deliveries, operates on a unique business model. Unlike traditional marketplaces, Tipti provides a personal shopping assistant who physically picks up groceries for customers, ensuring product quality and handling out-of-stock situations in real time. However, the in-app chat communication between shoppers and customers was inefficient.
Initially implemented in 2019, Tipti’s chat experience was text-based. It required shoppers to manually describe out-of-stock items and suggest replacements through lengthy back-and-forth messages. This process on mobile was slow, inconsistent, and frustrating for customers and Tipti’s workforce.
When Bernardo Vela, Head of Product Development at Tipti, took over in 2023, improving the mobile chat experience was a top priority. The goal was clear: increase efficiency for personal shoppers while making the grocery-buying process smoother for customers.
Enhancing mobile chat with structured and automated messaging
After evaluating various chat providers, Tipti deepened its partnership with Sendbird instead of switching to a new vendor. The decision was driven by Sendbird’s robust chat API feature set, customer track record, and reliable customer support.
Tipti upgraded its mobile chat experience, introducing structured messages and automated response components. Instead of relying on manual text messages, Tipti’s shopping assistants could now send pre-built interactive item options when replacements were needed. Customers could see suggested alternatives visually on their smartphone and accept them with a single tap, significantly reducing response times and improving satisfaction.
Tipti also utilized Sendbird’s backend capabilities to streamline shopper communication, automating key interactions to maintain consistent messaging and uphold its high customer service standards.
Faster transactions, higher CSAT, and greater efficiency
The initial results of the new chat experience have been overwhelmingly positive:
Usability score improvement: Tipti implemented a System Usability Scale (SUS) to assess chat effectiveness, achieving an 80-point rating post-implementation— a strong testament to the enhanced user experience.
Operational efficiency: While full-scale metrics are still being tracked, initial feedback from Tipti’s operations team indicates that structured messages have significantly reduced the time shoppers spend communicating with customers.
Standardized messaging: Automated responses have allowed Tipti to maintain brand voice consistency across all shopper interactions, reinforcing trust and professionalism.
Expanding conversational commerce with a chat API
Building on the success of its upgraded chat service, Tipti is now looking to enhance its customer engagement strategy further:
Payments in chat: Soon, customers will make purchases directly within the app chat, allowing for last-minute add-ons.
Automated upselling and promotions: Tipti’s marketing team will review Sendbird’s capabilities to send targeted, automated promotions relevant to customers.
In-app notification center: Tipti plans to introduce a message center within the app, ensuring customers receive important updates without switching to external channels for SMS notifications, WhatsApp notifications, or email.
Sendbird—a reliable, scalable communication partner
Throughout this transformation, Sendbird has proven to be more than just a chat provider—it has been a strategic partner. From product expertise to enterprise-grade customer support to scalable technology, Sendbird has enabled Tipti to innovate quickly.
"Many SaaS companies grow too fast and fail to support their customers adequately. With Sendbird, we have experienced the opposite—responsive support, clear documentation, and a product that evolves with our needs. That’s why we continue to invest in our partnership."
Bernardo Vela, Head of Product Development at Tipti
Fueling business growth with in-app chat
Tipti’s journey highlights how a chat API can become a powerful driver of efficiency, trust, and business growth when optimized. By refining its chat experience with Sendbird, Tipti has set a new standard for grocery shopping in Ecuador and all shopping services. Yet, with new in-app communication innovations with Sendbird Business Messaging and AI agents for customer service the best is yet to come.