Paris, [DATE] – JUST, the startup reshaping the customer journey, has raised €8 million in a Seed funding round led by Backed, with participation from Daphni, Otium, Kima Ventures, FJ Labs, Purple VC, Material Ventures, Tiny VC, and prominent business angels including Charlie Songhurst and Mark Ransford. This funding, secured two years after its pre-seed, will accelerate JUST’s mission to make shopping simple, smart & social.
Founded in 2022, JUST entered the market by laying the first building block of its vision: the checkout. Their plug-and-play checkout experience combines a high-performing checkout process with marketing triggers, enabling merchants to increase revenues by 10-15% on average. With over 500 merchants onboarded in France, including notable brands like Wethenew and JOTT, JUST has demonstrated its unique value in the market.
"We’ve cracked the code on delivering tangible results for our merchants: 10-15% more revenue. With the same acquisition budget, merchants are able to convert more, which leads to a significant increase in their EBITDA.” (Jeremy Pinto, co-CEO)
For a long time, checkout was synonymous with payment, and companies designed checkout flows similarly to payment forms. However, while payment has become a commodity, checkout remains a critical and underutilized part of the customer journey. Historically, merchants focused investments on the top of the funnel and neglected the end. There is now a clear shift toward optimizing checkout, as merchants recognize its significance in driving conversion and loyalty.
JUST operates with a perfect technological time-to-market, positioning itself to lead the next evolution of e-commerce. As co-CEO explains, e-commerce has evolved through several phases: Amazon pioneered E-commerce 1.0, providing a centralized platform with convenience and a wide selection, followed by Commerce 2.0 with Shopify, which enabled merchants to build their own branded experiences. JUST is now leading Commerce 3.0, a decentralized shopping model that empowers merchants to offer tailored, dynamic experiences and directly engage with consumers to enhance lifetime value. This evolution introduces more options, innovation, and competition, ultimately benefiting consumers and reshaping the future of e-commerce.
JUST’s vision extends beyond checkout. Their approach is inspired by social commerce innovations seen in China. The future of shopping lies in creating seamless experiences that merge simplicity, personalization, and social interaction, enabling consumers to make purchases effortlessly, share in real time with friends, and even access group discounts. This is the next phase of e-commerce evolution, and JUST is positioned to lead the way.
As e-commerce in Europe and the US lags behind markets like China—where 50% of retail sales happen online, compared to 20% in the West—JUST is poised to change this. By focusing on the personalization and interconnectedness of the shopping experience, and drawing inspiration from platforms like Taobao and Pinduoduo, JUST is expanding into new markets such as the UK and building a team of top talent to support its growth.
"More than 20 years ago, PayPal revolutionized the market by making online payments safe for consumers. But today, we are at a turning point in e-commerce. JUST is here to serve the new generation of shoppers entering the market for the next few decades. This generation demands shopping experiences that are easy, connected, and engaging across all channels—whether online, offline, on social media, or through messaging apps." (Jeremy Pinto, co-CEO)
At its core, JUST is a consumer-first company, capturing 25% of orders on a site, with performance on par with PayPal and four times better than Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services. In just two years, the platform has steadily delivered on its ambition to become the online shopping passport, creating network effects across e-commerce sites. With over 1 million users in France, JUST generates +12% network effects, ensuring consumers enjoy a more connected and frictionless experience across multiple online retailers.
Founded in 2022 by Jeremy Pinto and Benjamin Cohen Aloro, JUST is redefining e-commerce with its innovative checkout solutions that integrate marketing triggers to boost conversion rates and capture a significant share of transactions. With over 1 million users and 500+ merchants onboarded, JUST is leading the charge in Commerce 3.0, enabling seamless, personalized shopping experiences. JUST’s mission is to reshape the customer journey and make shopping simple, smart & social.