Whatever Happened to…Shopkick?

Who is this we’re talking about?

Shopkick gets paid when it puts bodies in stores. It’s a mobile application that automatically sends consumers rewards points when they walk into a participating store. Founded in 2009 by Cyriac Roeding (CBS Mobile, Loopt), Jeff Sellinger (CBS Mobile), and Aaron Emigh, Shopkick uses its own location technology — GPS isn’t reliable enough, apparently — to detect when users enter its merchant partners’ stores.

The company created an updated demo video after partnering with Visa last November (more on that partnership later).

Who are Shopkick’s merchant partners?

According to its website, retail partners include: American Eagle Outfitters, Best Buy, Crate and Barrel, Macy’s, Old Navy, Simon Property Group, The Sports Authority, Target, Toys”R”Us, west elm, The Wet Seal, Visa, Kraft Foods, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Intel, HP and more.

How much business is it generating?

In 2011, the company delivered $110 million in revenues to its merchant partners, according to a statement issued at the end of January. Roeding explained how the company arrived at that figure with comments to TechCrunch:

Conversion rates of walk-ins to sales can be measured directly by counting specific shopkick offers in the basket at retailers, by rewards for purchases through POS integrations, and conversion rates of product scans to product sales can be measured through in-app questionnaires and POS integrations.

(Source: TechCrunch)

Which investors are behind the company?

Since 2009, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers; Reid Hoffman; SV Angel; Citi Growth Ventures & Innovation Group; and Greylock Partners have invested $20 million.

Who are its industry partners?

In November, Shopkick added purchasing power to its mobile platform through a partnership with Visa. By adding a “Buy & Collect” feature to the app, Shopkick gave users the ability to boost their rewards earnings by using a linked Visa debit or credit card.

What significant milestones has the company reached?

Since its founding, the company has reported reaching 3 million active users; delivering 5 million walk-ins; 12 million product scans; 1 billion in-app offer views; and the aforementioned $110 million in partner revenues.

What’s the latest news from the company?

Last week, Shopkick added Andy Mooney to its board of directors. Mooney is the former chairman of Disney Consumer Products, and was once chief marketing officer for Nike.