Last week I wrote the post A Step too Far? about a new company who had sought out a new way of marketing, which I was freaked out about at the time. However, once I had calmed down (and took the necessary steps to restrict the information that is public online) I have to admit I was intrigued.
Let me introduce you to Flubit.
So, what do they do?
Firstly, they are not a comparison site.
They find the item YOU want to buy at the best price – simple.
But – is it that simple, I hear you asking – so I asked for you and this is what they said:
- Total funding raised: US$2.75 million. Our main investor is Pierre Andurand (founder of BlueGold Capital Management).
- 26 employees
- In our first week open to the public:
- we’ve created bespoke offers on just under £114,000 in products;
- we’ve offered £11,000 in savings for individual users; and
- almost 44% of customers have returned to buy again.
On the human side, we’re a team with an interesting range of experiences. Our CEO spent 6 years as Neville Longbottom’s stand-in for the Harry Potter films. His co-founder used to paraglide for France. I used to be press secretary to the Prime Minister of Australia.
We’ve all come together because we’re passionate about changing the way the UK shops online – by making it simpler, cheaper, and quicker.
The whole office was early adopters of the big wave of money-saving websites (flash buying and group buying and the like) but ultimately we stopped using them because they were using really steep discounts to encourage us to buy things we didn’t really want.
We knew we were pretty good at using the Internet at finding good prices. What we wanted was a place where we could get that little bit extra, every time, on exactly what we wanted.
We think that’s precisely the sort of site we’ve built.
It sounds good so far, but does it work?
I have been putting off replacing our TV unit for a while as we just couldn’t afford it, but this week it finally broke and became unsafe so I had to bite the bullet and get a new one. If you have read my blog before, you will know I will trawl the Internet to get the cheapest price I can find before I even think of making a purchase, so the perfect challenge for the guys at Flubit.
The website is so easy to use – simply click the tick below “Ready to Buy?” and away you go.
Firstly, you asked to give your search a name, so I chose TV Cabinet (original aren’t I) and then click next. You are then asked to copy and paste the entire URL of the item you wish to purchase and register your email, so they can let you know when they have the best deal, which they will have for you within 48 hours.
I have used them twice now, and both deals came back the same day. You can choose to accept the deal, but have a limited time to do so, so you must be prepared to purchase that item within the next 4 days, or you can choose not to accept the deal. I gave myself a couple of days to see if I could find my items cheaper anywhere else, but even I had to admit defeat!! Plus you can pay using PayPal.
Was it worth it?
You are not going to get the sort of discounts you get on Groupon, or other such sites as these offers are on the products you actually want. I saved 14% on my TV Stand, which equated to £26.86 and 16% on the Play Kitchen (£12.46), which is not to be sniffed at, plus the postage was free on both! The TV Cabinet arrived within 24 hours and the Play Kitchen within 48 hours, so I was impressed on all counts.
If you are still a little skeptical, have a look at their youtube videos below, which help explain how it all works, but before I leave you with them, I did have one more question………….
“Where does the name Flubit come from?”
“It’s the name of the ancient Greek god of online sales.”
The real answer is it’s a made up word. Just like the platform, it’s entirely original.
Right, so me and Mr G desperately need new furniture for our bedroom. I’ve challenged Flubit to find my favourite stuff cheaper. I’ll let you know how it works out.
But I definitely find this business idea enthralling.
I hope they work they’re magic for you. Can’t wait to hear!!