Blippy.Com launches after US$1.6m funding round
Much-hyped service will combine Twitter-style posts with details of users’ card purchases online
Blippy.Com – a social media service which lets people automatically post their credit card purchase details online, share them and discuss them with friends – has officially launched after it received a US$1.6m round of funding.
The service, founded by entrepreneur Philip Kaplan, aims to tap into the Twitter-style desire of people to share their daily thoughts and activities online. It enables a user’s followers to look at their online purchases in real-time.
A private beta test with 5,000 users was conducted prior to launch and Kaplan says he hopes the site will soon be showing details of transactions worth US$1m a day.
Users link a credit or debit card, as well as accounts at websites such as iTunes and Amazon, to the Blippy.Com website which then automatically provides a stream of purchase details. This transaction data can also be cross-posted to Twitter.
The transaction details include the buyer’s name, how much they spent and at which website. Purchases at Amazon and iTunes also list the items bought. Others can then follow the stream and, as with Twitter, participants can choose to make their purchases private or public.
The California-based company says its encryption technology will protect data from being stolen or reused.
It adds that thousands of users have already signed up, and Twitter CEO Evan Williams is reportedly among the investors supporting the company.
The launch aims to capitalise on what Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg says is the sharing of personal details online becoming a ‘social norm’.
Zuckerberg commented earlier this month: “People have gotten really comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people.”
The Blippy.Com site may be interesting for entertainment industry marketers and producers, as well as retailers. Common purchases being posted so far include films bought at Netflix, and music and other items at iTunes and Amazon.