Drop (loyalty program)
Drop is a coalition customer loyalty program, in which users earn points using their linked debit or credit cards.[1] Users choose five rewards partners such as Sephora, Starbucks, Uber, and Whole Foods Market to earn points with.[2] The program started in the Canadian market during August 2015 and expanded into the American market during October 2017, after a six-month private beta.[3] The Drop Rewards program requires that users download a companion app on an iOS or Android device. According to Drop, the service was designed as a way for brands to earn exposure with millennials.[4]
Type of business | Private |
---|---|
Founded | August 25, 2015 |
Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
Created by | Derrick Fung, Darren Fung, Cameron Dearsley, Akhil Gupta |
Industry | Loyalty program |
URL | earnwithdrop |
Native client(s) on | iOS and Android |
As of November 2017, the company had 500,000 users.[5] This number has since risen to 1 million users as of January 2018.[6]
Funding
In August 2015, Drop raised a CA$1 million round of initial financing for launching the app.[7]
In October 2017, Drop raised a $5.5 million seed round of venture capital financing led by Sierra Ventures. As part of the deal, Mark Fernandes joined Drop's Board.[8]
In February 2018, the company announced that they had raised a US$21 million series A round, led by New Enterprise Associates.[9] Later that year Drop acquired customer analytics company Canopy Labs.[10]
In August 2019, the company announced their series B round which was a total of US$44 million, led by HOF Capital and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) participated as a strategic investor. [11]
As of July 2023 they are still having money issues. The weekly gift cards that they supposedly drop every Thursday are "limited and capped at $25". Thousands of subscribers are unable to cash in their funds. Multiple users have even stated the gift cards aren't even dropped because they never show up.
References
- Fischer, Alyssa (10 September 2017). "8 Personal Finance Apps You Need in Your Life". Popsugar. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- Chang, Lulu (11 October 2017). "Earn rewards as you spend money with the new Drop app". Digital Trends. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- Hartmans, Avery (4 December 2016). "This Canadian rewards app has 70,000 millennials using it — now, it's coming to the US". Business Insider. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- "The loyalty reward app getting attention from Millennials". Fox Business. 23 December 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- "Many Merchants, One Mobile Rewards Program". Pymnts. 6 November 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- "NEA leads $21m round for Drop, a rewards app for millennials". TechCrunch. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- Zubairi, Amira (16 April 2017). "Drop Pitches Millennial-Focused Rewards App on #thedistrupters". BetaKit. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- Cornick, Kate (11 October 2017). "Drop Rewards App Earns $5.5 Million, Expands to U.S. Market". Techvibes. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- Kolodny, Lora (30 January 2018). "Drop, a rewards app start-up, snags Airbnb's former head of engineering". CNBC. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
- Galang, Jessica (November 15, 2018). "Drop Acquires Predictive Analytics Company Canopy Labs". Betakit. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
- "44M Series B Drop in the Bucket Millennial Loyalty". 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2019-10-03.