The French startup has only one philosophy: promoting creators and their skills through communication campaigns. The goal is to increase their visibility and turnover. To do this, the company uses tools it has developed to encourage consumers to visit the platform.
The young company is headquartered in Annecy. It also has a branch in North America in Canada. The application has existed since 2018 and launched its website in January 2020. It currently lists 10,000 merchants and 2,000 users. Recently, it raised two million euros from various investors. It received the Finance Innovation label from the Minister of Finance Bruno Le Maire. What are its objectives? Why expand on the Côte d’Azur? Jessica Nguyen, the founder of FlipNpik, explains these choices to us.
How does the application work?
The application rewards consumers every time they create content for it. For example, if I like my small bakery, I will take a picture of the croissants, I’ll post it on the baker’s page on our app, and I’ll receive points. With these points, I can access vouchers, discounts, or gifts, either within stores that are part of the FlipNpik ecosystem or our partner network. Among them, we can have a 50% discount on kayaking in Dordogne or a free cinema ticket in Geneva.
Why is Sophia Antipolis unique in the sector?
It is one of the best technology parks in Europe. Considering we are driving a French project that aims to enter public markets in 2021-2022, it is an obvious choice for us. We looked everywhere in Paris, Bordeaux… But this technology park allows us access to a very dynamic region, especially in the field of human resources. For recruitment, we know it will be easier to find talent because here in Sophia Antipolis, between schools and startups, there is a certain openness in the region, with support that is not only financial. We know there are resources and open-minded people who will be necessary. Finally, our entire reward technology is based on Blockchain [a transparent, secure method of storing and transmitting information, functioning without a central control entity and completely decentralized]. So, we don’t need to communicate about it to the regions, elected officials, merchants, or even our users to avoid confusing them. Thus, we will have an office in Annecy that will cover the northern part of France, the Rhône-Alpes region, the Île-de-France Nantaise… We may also have an office at Sundesk in Valbonne by the end of the year.
How do you choose your partners for the loyalty program?
These partners must have an appeal for small businesses. We are in discussions with a company that allows city parking payments via smartphone. For us, it’s a way to attract the consumer community to bring them back to downtowns. The fact is that city parking is expensive today. So, we say, we will partner with this company to offer 30 minutes or even an hour of free parking. They want to drive traffic back to downtown for the merchants. Ultimately, our partners are selected for the attractiveness they bring both in terms of tourism for cities and regions and for merchants by taking actions in their favor.
What about merchants?
The selection of merchants and creators is very rigorous. We do not want franchises, only local and independent businesses. We want design or made in France products. In all businesses listed on FlipNpik, there is a human element involved, not robots, to verify that each business registered is not a franchise, a large brand, or a major chain. We are also demanding about the quality of the content published. We are here to offer visibility, not to judge a business. We also check that the published photos are clear and not blurry. We want at least European production and design made in France. We want to respect French and European work conditions and craftsmanship.
How have you organized with elected officials regarding COVID-19?
It’s a very current topic as we recently received a COVID-19 press alert within the crisis communication framework. The purpose is to alert officials, mayors, and merchant associations to offer a turn-key solution, either by giving them an additional sales platform, a solution to sell and generate revenue, or simply communication to drive traffic to our website on the merchant’s page. We are doing it for free for a three-month period or extendable if the lockdown and store closures continue for an extended time.
What are your different offered plans?
Firstly, there’s a free plan for merchants comfortable with digital tools. They can go onto the app, create an account, and be completely autonomous. The 365-euro plan is for merchants who need our help to increase their visibility. However, they do not necessarily want to sell their products on the site. We will then provide them with online visibility. Finally, for the merchant who needs to sell their items, wants a platform to be listed as a local gem, they will pay for an 865-euro plan + 10% commission per income. At this point, we will enter all their products for sale and promote their expertise. They will be able to access their sales statistics.
