The Flip app: Turning every user into an influencer
Released in 2021, the Flip app has taken the e-commerce world by storm, revolutionizing how people shop and interact with products online. With Flip, users can purchase items, create TikTok-style video reviews, and earn money when others buy products based on their content or through referrals. This unique blend of shopping, content creation, and rewards has created a highly engaging and interactive user experience. Our recent study explored the app’s growing popularity, its impact on consumer behavior, and its potential to shape the future of online retail.
Key takeaways
- One in eight people in the U.S. are actively using the Flip app. Among them, 58% reported using it at least once a week.
- Three in 10 Flip users saved over $100 in the past year using the Flip app.
- Three in 10 Flip users prefer shopping on Flip over TikTok; 32% of millennials and 28% of Gen Zers share this preference.
- Nearly one in 12 Gen Zers overall believe Flip will be the new TikTok.
- 82% of people in the U.S. believe the Flip app’s model encourages impulse buying.
Summary/Overview
The Flip effect
The Flip app has quickly become a popular platform for users to shop, create content, and earn rewards. How is this revolutionary experience impacting consumer behavior, including spending habits, preferences, and post-purchase feelings?
One in eight people in the U.S. said they actively use the Flip app, with 58% of them doing so at least once a week. User preferences varied by gender, with men being twice as likely as women to buy technology and gadgets on Flip, while women were three times more likely than men to purchase beauty and skin care products. Some within the younger generations have embraced Flip as a shopping destination, with 13% of millennials and 12% of Gen Zers actively using the app.
The app’s engaging blend of shopping and content creation has led to significant spending, with two in three Flip users having spent over $100 on the app in the past year. Its discounts and rewards program can also lead to big savings: on average, three in 10 Flip users have saved more than $100 over the past 12 months with the app.
Which app features have gained the most traction so far among users? Flip content creation is still picking up steam compared to shopping — just one in 12 users have created content for the app. But this could change quickly with the platform’s ability to turn shoppers into influencers. For now, a higher ratio of shoppers to content creators might offer an advantage to those looking to shine as influencers.
Impulse buying — the sudden and immediate purchase of a product without any pre-shopping intention — is par for the course on Flip. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of users have made impulse purchases on the app, especially millennials (77%). These knee-jerk purchases can result in a range of emotions: Gen Zers were most likely to feel satisfied afterward (70%), but only 7% felt excited or happy. Millennials, meanwhile, felt the most indifferent (33%).
Shopping platform preferences varied among generations as well. Thirty percent of Flip users preferred shopping on Flip over TikTok Shop. Among these, millennials (32%) and Gen Zers (28%) showed a notable preference. Plus, 21% of Gen Zers have spent more on Flip than on TikTok in the past year. These findings show Flip’s growing popularity as a shopping destination among younger generations.
The Flip appeal
Next, let’s see what fuels interest in the app and the products people are most eager to review and promote as micro-influencers.
The opportunity to earn discounts and money is the biggest motivation for Flip users, aligning with the app’s model of rewarding users for creating video content and driving sales. When asked about the products they would be most interested in reviewing or promoting as micro-influencers on Flip, respondents showed a wide range of preferences:
- Tech/gadgets (54%)
- Personal care (51%)
- Grocery (51%)
- Household/cleaning supplies (47%)
- Health/wellness supplements (41%)
Flip has the potential to attract a diverse group of influencers across a wide range of product categories, further enhancing the app’s appeal and reach.
The future of online retail
Flip’s innovative e-commerce approach sparks questions about the future of online retail. We explored people’s perceptions of the app’s impact on consumer behavior and its potential to change the game for shopping and selling online.
The Flip app’s seamless integration of shopping and content consumption, coupled with the opportunity to earn rewards, creates a highly engaging and tempting environment for users. People in the U.S. are catching on to this: 82% said Flip’s model encourages impulse buying. These unplanned purchases are often driven by the fear of missing out on a good deal or the desire to emulate the lifestyles portrayed by influencers.
This lucrative model could revolutionize how people discover, purchase, and interact with products online — 66% of the people we surveyed said platforms like Flip represent the future of e-commerce. As younger generations increasingly embrace new platforms like this, traditional e-commerce players may need to adapt and incorporate similar features to remain competitive. Nearly one in 12 Gen Zers already believe Flip will be the new TikTok
A new era of interactive shopping
Flip has tapped into the growing desire for a more interactive and personalized online shopping experience by combining the ability to purchase products, create video reviews, and earn rewards. As more consumers embrace this model, we could see a ripple effect throughout e-commerce, with other platforms and retailers adapting to keep up with the changing expectations of shoppers. Whether Flip becomes the next TikTok remains to be seen, but it’s already making its mark and is poised to play a major role in the future of online retail.
Methodology
For this campaign, we surveyed 1,505 people in the U.S. aged 18 to 45 years old to explore their views of the Flip app. Among them, 24% were Gen Zers, 68% were millennials, and 8% were Gen Xers.
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