Rush.app is a company that helps e-commerce brands and online retailers increase revenue and turn one-time buyers into repeat customers in just a few clicks through its shipping notifications that take them to high-converting and beautifully crafted tracking pages filled with upsells and cross-sells. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Rush.app’s newly appointed CEO, Mario Peshev.
Mario Peshev’s Background
Peshev has been interested in technology for a long time and built his first website way back in 1999. Peshev said:
“My career took me into software engineering, where I worked on big projects for various industries. This ranged from telecom companies to big retail businesses and included work on integrating different software systems and making sure invoices could be processed automatically across different countries.”
“Along the way, I helped start a company that did well, making seven figures in revenue by its third year. I also started a digital agency focused on WordPress, and we’ve worked with a mix of small businesses and bigger brands, as well as people selling stuff on Amazon. We got so many questions about business strategy that we started a separate consulting service, which has already advised over 400 businesses, many of them in e-commerce.”
“These days, I do a lot of different things. I’m also investing in new companies in Europe and North America. Right now, I’m excited about scaling Rush.app, which is part of a portfolio of over 2,700 stores that we’re planning to grow significantly in the next few months.”
Formation Of Rush.app
How did the idea for the company originally come together and what are your primary responsibilities as recently appointed CEO? Peshev shared:
“I was genuinely intrigued about the existing culture and ecosystem when I first joined the organization. My official introduction led to an influx of hundreds of new connections and colleagues in my professional network, all eager to collaborate and bring in new business within just the first two weeks.”
“The core team went above and beyond in their support, proactively sharing the current strategic roadmap, action plans, and potential opportunities that we could seize. Their proactive approach not only made me feel welcomed but also provided a clear path for how we could work together to achieve the company’s goals. Overall, the experience has been incredibly positive, setting the stage for fruitful collaborations and future success.”
“Primarily, I’m looking to expand our partner and collaborator network, bring in new customers, and retain or upgrade existing ones. Trust and quality are the top pillars which allow Rush App to succeed and continue to provide revenue-generating opportunities and solutions to Shopify vendors.”
Favorite Moment
What has been your favorite moment working for the company so far? Peshev reflected:
“The overwhelming commitment to customer satisfaction and going above and beyond for the current portfolio of clients.”
“Debugging reports around the clock and solving business problems way beyond our core value proposition (being order tracking and upsells.)”
“Going the extra mile is what great products should strive for.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges has Peshev faced in building and scaling the company, and has the current macroeconomic climate affected your company? Peshev acknowledged:
“It’s a competitive space, and gaining trust takes time. Our retention rates are great, and the customer satisfaction score is 5 out of 5 stars in Shopify’s marketplace. Increasing our lead funnel is the main focus for the marketing team – and we’re happy to start scaling steadily!”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Peshev explained:
“Rush App is a comprehensive solution tailored for Shopify store owners, aiming to improve the post-purchase experience for customers. The platform offers a variety of features including customizable shipping notifications via email or SMS, and a fully branded tracking page where customers can monitor the status of their orders.”
“In addition to tracking, Rush App also provides functionalities for scheduling review request emails based on actual delivery dates and offering upsells and cross-sells to customers. These features are designed to not only enhance customer satisfaction and trust but also to increase customer retention, reduce the burden on customer service, and ultimately boost sales.”
Evolution Of Rush.app’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Peshev noted:
“Every minimum viable product (MVP) starts small as a proof of concept. With traction, we have to face scalability issues and reinventing software architecture paradigms that no longer fit most common projects on the market.”
“Scale and stability is the main reason why Fortune 500 tech companies employ tens of thousands of software engineers. Making strives to grow a SaaS handling hundreds of millions of orders in near real-time with a small team is a significant win that we’re proud of.”
“All of our recent and upcoming integrations with key players in the ecosystem – like SMS notification providers – complete our feature set and deliver a streamlined experience for our stores.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Peshev cited:
“Creating a growing community of advocates and supporters has been an integral win for us. Whenever our clients or partners voluntarily recommend and share Rush.app across social media, online communities, and networking events out of genuine satisfaction with the product is what keeps us motivated to persevere.”
“Our first 1,000 onboarded stores led to a validation exercise and helped segment the market, analyze needs at a larger scale, and provide feature suites for each store category. We have subsequently come up with innovative features for dropshippers, print-on-demand stores, and established stores developing sustainable brands.”
Customer Success Stories
After asking Peshev about customer success stories, he cited:
“We have numerous success stories that demonstrate the effectiveness of Rush App in enhancing the post-purchase customer experience and driving revenue. One of our more recent success stories is that of Combat Iron Apparel, a clothing brand that leveraged Rush App to significantly improve their customer engagement and revenue.”
“Combat Iron Apparel faced challenges in post-purchase engagement and wanted to better manage shipping notifications and build a branded tracking page. They utilized Rush App to create visually engaging tracking pages that provided real-time shipping updates and showed upsell and cross-sell items. The integration with Klaviyo allowed them to send highly personalized order and delivery notification emails.”
“As a result, they saw a 66% open rate and a 22% click-through rate on these emails. In the first year alone, Combat Iron Apparel spent $2,700 on Rush App and generated $140,000 through post-purchase email campaigns. Their branded tracking pages also drove an additional $4,000+ in revenue. This case exemplifies how Rush App can turn the post-purchase stage into a major revenue generator while enhancing customer satisfaction.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size Rush.app is pursuing? Peshev assessed:
“We focus on Shopify store owners who could benefit from enhanced post-order automation features. Given that Shopify is one of the leading e-commerce platforms with over 4.5 million stores, the TAM for Rush.app within the Shopify ecosystem alone represents the majority of that market.”
“The tapped segment alone, represented by alternative tools or mixtures of theme settings, custom snippets, or other extensions, is already past a million existing stores.”
“Additionally, the broader e-commerce market is continually growing, especially in the wake of increased online shopping due to the pandemic. Rush.app’s features like post-purchase automation, shipping notifications, and seamless integrations are universally applicable needs for e-commerce stores, further expanding their TAM.”
“The platform’s focus on compatibility with various systems—ranging from payment gateways and ERPs to marketing automation tools—indicates that they are also targeting e-commerce businesses with complex operational needs, which adds another layer to their potential market reach. Overall, Rush.app seems to be positioning itself to tap into the expansive and growing e-commerce market, making its TAM quite large and diverse.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Peshev affirmed:
“One of the primary differentiators is the focus on post-purchase automation, which not only enhances the order tracking experience but also transforms shipping updates into revenue-generating opportunities. The app includes a recommended products widget to boost brand loyalty and sales, and it integrates seamlessly with other Shopify apps and carriers. This ensures a smooth and reliable setup, which is reflected in their high customer satisfaction ratings.”
“Another standout feature is Rush.app’s commitment to compatibility and integration. The platform is designed to work well with a variety of tech stacks and workflows, including carriers, email outreach tools, and translation services. This intentional collaboration ensures a seamless and native experience for customers.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future company goals? Peshev concluded:
“At Rush.app, we’re actively enhancing our platform to offer a more intuitive user interface that aligns well with Shopify’s built-in design and block features. We’re also focusing on improving notification delivery, speeding up tracking updates, and expanding our list of supported carriers. Additionally, we’re forging new partnerships to provide the comprehensive, multi-channel experience that our clients require.”
“Running a successful online store involves juggling various elements like payment processors, inventory management systems, automated marketing solutions, and customer relationship management tools. It’s vital for Rush.app to seamlessly integrate with these diverse systems to ensure accurate and efficient data exchange.”
Ramping Up For The Holiday Season
How are you aiming to make an impact for e-commerce owners as they head into the busy holiday shopping season? Peshev concluded:
“While I’m biased, we see anywhere between 2% to 7% average increase in GMV for all of our stores installing Rush – even before calibrating advanced features or integrating our Klaviyo flows (leading to significant gains in the first 30 days).”
“It’s a no-brainer turnkey solution for stores making at least several hundred orders each month!”
