Around!: A Singapore Start-up That Makes Stamp-Cards Mobile

Singapore-based start-up, around! is a mobile app built for both consumers and merchandisers. Merchandisers using around! can use the platform to create location-based customer loyalty programs.

For example, BubbleOrange (see right) can create a loyalty program that gives consumer a virtual stamp for every $4 he or she spent. If ten stamps are collected, the consumer is entitled to redeem it for a free beverage.

The stamps are redeemed by scanning QR codes located within the stores. They are tracked based on mobile number — which is unique to every user. around! charges a fee whenever users redeem an offer. Co-founder, Xu Daxiang remarked:

We do not charge by the conventional CPC, CPM, or subscription model. In our opinion it’s only fair that we earn when we can deliver a real customer, a real redemption to our merchants.

For consumers, around! functions more like a location-based deal mobile app, tracking and reflecting deals that are near your location upon launch. This part of the business is very much like Chalkboard’s, which is also a location-based deal network with a presence in Southeast Asia and the U.S. Check out this video to see around! from the a consumer’s point of view:

Started in March this year, Daxiang told me that his start-up has thousands of users and he hopes to hit the 10,000 download mark by end of this year. He also said that the team is focused on capturing the Singapore market before moving on to neighboring countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.

I like the idea of helping business create customized loyalty programs with a phone. Or to put it in simple terms, digitizing stamp cards and placing them into an app. But with a low number of users, it is tough to attract big names to come on board of the service, even at zero cost.

The dilemma is that without merchandisers coming on board, it is hard to attract users. And on the flip side, without users, merchandisers wouldn’t be interested to manage a loyalty program just for a small group.

around! received SGD $100,000 in funding from MDA and NUS Enterprise and is incubated at NUS. If you have a Singapore iTunes account, you can download the app here.