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POP helps D2C startups tackle customer acquisition and retention hurdles

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
POP helps D2C startups tackle customer acquisition and retention hurdles
Medial

A group of former Flipkart employees, led by Bhargav Errangi, is working to fix a big hurdle faced by D2C startups – acquiring new customers. Through their platform POP, the Bengaluru-based startup aims to build a vast pool of customers, who are preferably ecommerce savvy and drive sales through a reward currency. Conveniently called POPcoins, the reward currency is driven by the group’s learnings with Flipkart’s popular Supercoins. We spoke to the company founder and CEO Errangi to learn how the platform works, what makes it different from the competition, and future roadmap. Here are the edited excerpts: How does the platform work? Please help simplify the process. POP intends to create a network of e-commerce users which constitutes genZ and late millennials on the back of POPcoins. Brands participating in the POP network will get access to this network and can acquire and retain customers much more efficiently than the current modes of customer acquisition. Moreover, we have a SaaS product that is already being used by 120+ D2C brands. It is a simple Shopify plug-in that can be integrated within the brand website, which enables the brand to issue POPcoins and let customers redeem POPcoins on their purchases. Apart from that, POP will be launching a D2C e-marketplace which will house 500+ D2C brands and also its own UPI handle where users can earn 2% back in POPcoins on every transaction. Both these businesses will be launched within the same app platform, which is ready to be launched in May’24 What makes your platform unique? What sets us apart is the ability to merge two distinct worlds—bottom-up loyalty solutions and top-down co-branded credit cards. POP understands that to attract anchor brands to our network, we must offer a product that they genuinely value. The co-branded credit card approach not only differentiates us from competitors but also creates a symbiotic relationship between banks, anchor brands, and POP. How is it different from the likes of MagicPin? Also, please explain your fintech features. Very different, POP is focused on the D2C market. The redemption options of POPcoins will be focused on D2C brands. Within the world of D2C, POP aims to incentivise customers who are avid shoppers of D2C brands. These are users who think beyond the mainstream brands and want to stand out of the crowd with their lifestyle choices. Whereas Magicpin is a discounted voucher platform where a user can buy vouchers of any brand- offline or online at discounted rates We will have two fintech offerings- UPI and a co-branded credit card. On every UPI transaction, a user gets 2% value back on POPcoins. On every online transaction made on our credit card, the user earns 10% value back on POPcoins Please help us understand the regulatory compliances required for your fintech features, such as co-branded cards. A ‘TPAP’ license is needed to become a UPI payments player, like PhonePe, Gpay, etc. We have obtained one recently. A partnership with a bank is required to launch a co-branded credit card. Our first partnership with a large bank will be rolling out soon. Are you planning to raise fresh funds in the near future? We have already raised a seed round last year. We have enough funds in the bank for now, and we are focusing on the launches right now. Sometime later this year, we plan to raise our series A.

Fintech startup POP raises $2.4 Mn led by India Quotient

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Fintech startup POP raises $2.4 Mn led by India Quotient
Medial

Fintech startup POP has raised $2.4 million in seed funding round led by India Quotient and a few prominent angel investors. The Bengaluru-based startup also announced that it had received approval as a Third-Party Application Provider (TPAP) from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to offer UPI payments via its POPclub app. POP also joins prominent players like Google Pay, PhonePe, WhatsApp, CRED, and Paytm as a third-party app authorised to provide UPI payments. It has partnered with financial firms such as Yes Bank and Juspay to build its UPI stack. The funding will help expedite the implementation of various initiatives, including the POP UPI service that will enable users to earn POPcoins with every UPI transaction made through the app. Launched in May 2023 by Bhargav Errangi, POP intends to create a network of e-commerce users which constitutes genZ and late millennials on the back of POPcoins. These POPcoins can be used to buy a wide range of products from all major direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands in categories such as beauty, personal care, electronics, fashion, and home goods within the app. POP has added over 200 brands to its network, including mCaffeine, HUL-owned Simple Skin Care, Adil Qadri, Anveshan, Two Brothers Organic Farms, and Epigamia.

Razorpay acquires majority stake in POP with $30 Mn investment

EntrackrEntrackr · 1m ago
Razorpay acquires majority stake in POP with $30 Mn investment
Medial

Razorpay acquires majority stake in POP with $30 Mn investment Rewards-first UPI payments app POP has raised $30 million from Razorpay to grow its payments and commerce platform. With this, Razorpay has acquired a majority stake in the Bengaluru-based startup. While POP did not share further transaction details, it will operate as a separate entity. Earlier in June last year, POP had raised $2.4 million in its seed funding round led by India Quotient and a few prominent angel investors. The fresh proceeds will be used to improve its products, grow its merchant base, and enhance its rewards program. POP started its UPI platform in June 2024. It claims to have crossed 6 lakh daily transactions and 1 million unique monthly transactions within the first year. According to the company, it fulfilled 2 lakh orders and issued over 40,000 RuPay credit cards in collaboration with Yes Bank. POP’s main feature is POPcoins, a multi-brand rewards currency that consumers earn when making payments or shopping on the platform. These POPcoins can be redeemed across POP’s extensive merchant network, offering users flexible and valuable incentives. Razorpay’s investment in POP expands its services into loyalty, engagement, and commerce. POP’s payments and rewards ecosystem lets merchants reward transactions and payments directly. Previously in September 2022, Razorpay acquired PoshVine to add loyalty and rewards to its payments stack. POP will help Razorpay serve merchants by offering payments, loyalty, and engagement services in a single platform. The development follows Razorpay’s recent announcement to shift its domicile back to India from the US. While the company has no immediate plans for a public listing, it has completed key regulatory steps, including its transition into a public limited company and securing approval for the merger of Razorpay Inc. with Razorpay India. Razorpay stands out as one of the few profitable unicorns in the fintech space, having reported revenue of Rs 2,068 crore and a profit of Rs 35 crore in FY24. The company is yet to announce its FY25 results.

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