Route, a Lehi-based post-purchase platform for ecommerce merchants, has announced the acquisition of Frate Returns of Austin, Texas.
Frate Returns is a returns and exchanges platform designed for e-tailers.
Route said the acquisition will give its customers a comprehensive solution that combines Route’s package protection and tracking suite with Frate’s intelligent exchange-first returns technology, giving merchants a single, vertically integrated platform to manage the entire customer journey after checkout.
“Acquiring Frate Returns builds on Route’s position at the center of the post-purchase experience to create shopper confidence that fuels merchant growth,” said Eric Kobe, CEO of Route. “The Frate team has built an exceptional product that turns a traditionally complex process into a seamless experience for shoppers and a growth engine for brands. By integrating their technology with Route’s industry-leading package protection and visual order tracking, we are not just expanding our capabilities, we are redefining the standard for how merchants engage with and retain shoppers long after the sale.”
“Merchants today are looking to consolidate their tech stacks to reduce costs without sacrificing the customer experience,” said Bailey Newton, co-founder and CEO of Frate Returns. “There is a critical market need to optimize the entire post-purchase journey, not just fragmented parts of it, and joining forces with Route allows us to amplify our impact by solving those challenges in one unified platform. I’m incredibly excited to combine our returns and exchanges capabilities with Route to drive massive value for merchants and shoppers.”
Founded by Evan Walker and Mike Moreno in 2019, Route is used by 13,000 e-commerce brands.
“We founded Route to reimagine what’s possible in e-commerce,” said Walker. “Bringing Frate’s technology into our family is a powerful catalyst forward in that evolution. As we continue to innovate for our customers and see our enterprise adoption accelerate faster than ever, I couldn’t be more excited for Route to reach new heights with this strategic addition.”