Waitwhile Lands $12 Million To Help Retailers Manage Wait Lines

Waitwhile has landed a $12 million investment from venture capital firm CRV as part of its Series A financing round. The queue management firm says it will apply the infusion toward growing into new markets, expanding the firm’s technical workforce and continuing to widen its enterprise product, according to a Thursday (Feb. 4) announcement.

“Our goal is to create a magical experience for customers. We want to see a world where waiting in line doesn’t feel like waiting at all. CRV’s long track record with high-growth, early-stage successes made them the perfect partner for us,” Waitwhile CEO and Co-founder Chris Klemming said in the announcement.

Klemming’s company has worked with brands such as Patagonia, Louis Vuitton, IKEA and Applebee’s to reshape the wait experience for more than 80 million customers to date. The firm as a whole says it has given back more than 400,000 days that would have been spent waiting in line.

Waitwhile assists companies in quickly changing their current physical queues into digital lines. Moreover, it lets companies bring queue functionalities straight into current programs via its application programming interface (API). The platform also learns about wait times, guests’ likes and dislikes, and resource limitations to assist companies in decreasing wait times and bolstering operations, according to the announcement. Companies can notify clients about their place in the queue via text message, email or physical displays.

Organizations of all sizes and verticals can access Waitwhile, which is supported on Android and iOS devices.

Beyond the funding, Waitwhile revealed a collection of new functionalities, such as an integration with Google Maps.

In separate retail technology news, Tulip recently launched its Fulfillment product to help retailers widen their capabilities to supervise, track and deliver online shopping orders directly from stores.