Influenster app brings free samples to influential product testers
New York based company Influenster, is a product discovery website that pairs up with brands to send its community of social media influencers product samples in the form of "VoxBoxes".
Its members create reviews about these products, spreading their opinions across social media networks, and amplifying their opinions about the latest products.
The company has a community of almost 1.2 million members who have created over four million reviews on nearly one million products.
There are 180K active reviewers per month on average with 400,000 members have written at least one review.
On average, users log in 4 times per month, spending over 5 minutes on the site.Founded in 2011, Aydin Acar and Elizabeth Scherle, chose not to go down the path of institutional investment after a series of angel rounds during the first few years of operation.
The company has grown organically through its influencer marketing model and is currently profitable - with a revenue run rate in excess of 10 million dollars.
The app is available in the Apple app store for iOS devices (iPhone and iPad only) and will be available to Android devices in a few weeks.Whilst Influenster is a consumer-facing tech product, its model for generating revenue is through B2B.
The company partners with brands like Unilever, P&G, L'Oréal, and eBay to facilitate connections with influential consumers who generate reviews at their own will.
The community of social media influencers are invited to participate in rewards campaigns such as product sampling through "VoxBoxes" and interactive "Twitter parties".
With the mobile app, the company also hopes to drive "in-store activation". Consumers can use digital coupons or scan QR codes to access more product information.
Members who engage with products choose to write reviews on Influenster and spread the word through their social media networks creating product buzz.
This information gives the brands real-time data and market insights about products and campaigns.
Current product codes on Influenster are for US based items, although the company is planning on adding Canadian product codes "very soon".
It aims to become the "ultimate product discovery platform". With an army of people who love to receive free samples, then social outreach will ensure that we discover new products every time we log on to our network.
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