Giftable, a Luxembourgish startup founded by serial entrepreneur Michel Hoffmann, has officially started operating its new mobile application allowing users to send gifts via text message.
The gamified application includes different badges, levels and hidden features centred around kindness and community building. The startup's founder explained: “Only joint creativity and gifts create intimacy and connection. You only have to select a recipient, an experience you want to share and optionally add a personalised message”.
The recipient, if not a user of the application yet, will receive a text message informing them that a "giftable" has been received. This also opens up the chat possibility with the sender within the application. Once downloaded, the recipient can go to one of the partners and redeem their giftable by scanning the respective QR code at the shop.
Giftable counts more than 60 partners to its network to date with over 150 shops active in Luxembourg and more than 270 experiences that can be gifted. Downloading and using the app is free for users and merchants will not have any set up fees or running subscription costs. Merchants have access to a 24/7 digital store-front and a potential increase in foot traffic, new customers and loyalty whilst users benefit from an online-to-offline experience.
Backed by several Luxembourgish Business Angels, this new startup aims to offer an innovative way to show love and stay close to friends and family, while at the same time supporting local business in this unprecedented pandemic crisis. Michel Hoffmann added: “After several months of intensive ideation, market research and market validation throughout 2019, we decided to launch Giftable during COVID because we are convinced that it is specially in these difficult times when kindness and community strengthening are most needed”.
Today, the company consists of seven young professionals with international backgrounds. Melody Le Roy, Lead Product Manager at Giftable, commented: “The team quickly realised that even this pandemic has opportunities in store. Giftable can be considered a digital high-five, a way of showing appreciation even in times of social distancing and sanitary measures”.
Given the growth of the user-base since its soft-launch in late September 2020, Giftable is ready to expand into different markets in 2021. Michel Hoffmann concluded: “The ambitions are huge, the outlook is brighter than ever. We are taking this company from zero to one, hiring, expanding, continuously developing the team, the partner network and user-base as well as the product itself".
