If you’re running an eCommerce business today, you understand how drastically customer acquisition strategies have shifted throughout the years. You’ve probably tried everything from search engine optimization (SEO) to social media advertising to email marketing. But despite all of your efforts, your business is likely getting lost in the noise. Consumers have more options than ever, and competing for their attention is getting harder and harder.
Brands need an alternative acquisition channel to acquire new, life-long customers. And that’s where Nift comes in.
Nift is revolutionizing how consumers and brands discover each other by integrating direct-to-consumer (DTC) products and services as a ‘thank you’ gift within consumer apps. The keyword here is ‘gift’. The products or services offered on the Nift platform are not ads; they are personalized gifts shown to consumers who are ready to purchase. Once a consumer has completed an action, like registering on Tinder, checking in to the gym, or leaving a review for a restaurant, our proprietary AI selects individualized gifts to try a new brand to reward and thank them.
We understand the process is a bit unique, so in this blog, we’ll discuss how Nift works to make it clearer and easier to follow who can use Nift, and why gifting is the top customer acquisition channel for eCommerce brands this year. Let’s dive in!
Is Nift Legit?
First things first, let’s answer the most popular questions we get every day: What is Nift? Is Nift Real? Is Nift Legit? Is Nift Fraud?
Yes. Nift is 100% legit. We are not a scam, trick, ad, or money-off coupon.
Given how deceptive and clever scams are these days, we don’t blame anyone for being cautious about such a new acquisition platform—but allow us to clear the air.
Our mission is to become the premier consumer delight program worldwide. We achieve this by creating a closed ecosystem where premium consumer apps offer millions of exclusive high-value gifts as a thank-you to try from DTC brands at key life-cycle moments. Our unique process fosters positive customer experiences, drives revenue, and shows appreciation—all through the power of saying “thank you.” Consumers get shown hundreds of ads daily but rarely get thanked with a gift.
For DTC brands, Nift advertising is an alternative growth channel for brands that want to attract incremental new customers to their business. Unlike paid search and paid social, our software utilizes the power of first-party data and artificial intelligence to offer personalized ‘thank you’ gifts to surprise, delight, and convert.
Think back to the last time a friend got you something simply because they thought you’d appreciate it. You probably felt a mix of joy, appreciation, and excitement because who doesn’t love a surprise gift?
That’s how consumers feel when they’re offered a gift through Nift. We deliver real gifts, at real moments, to real consumers. So yes, Nift is 100% real.
Who can use Nift?
Nift is a unique, closed ecosystem of 51 million real consumers, so you don’t have to worry about bots or false impressions. Our consumers actively discover new brands and our partners share in the profit of that discovery. That means there are a lot of moving parts and pieces within our model. Nift has four key audiences:
- Nift for Partnerships: Apps like Tripadvisor, Afterpay, and Mindbody partner with Nift to delight users with unexpected offers from DTC brands after they complete an action, such as leaving a review, making a payment, or registering for a yoga class. By saying thank you through high-value gifts without incremental costs, consumers have more positive experiences, and our partners generate additional revenue.
- Nift Advertising for DTC Brands: Leading DTC brands like HelloFresh, Thrive Causemetics, Wine Insiders, and Blenders Eyewear use Nift to gain exclusive access to consumers who are actively engaged with our consumer app partners.
- Nift Advertising for Restaurants: Multi-unit restaurants like World of Beer Bar & Kitchen, Hart House, Dig, and Fatburger use Nift to drive traffic. By starting the conversation with a unique ‘thank you’ gift, restaurants convert more new customers into regulars and build their consumer database.
- Nift for Consumers: With Nift, consumers find new brands that align with their interests and preferences through a one-of-a-kind incentive to purchase. All ‘thank you’ gifts are 100% unique to the Nift platform; they are not promo codes that are searchable and available to everyone.
It’s a win-win situation. Partners generate revenue and drive positive experiences while consumers discover new brands that fit their needs, and brands and restaurants drive new customer acquisition.
The Gifting Process: How Nift Works
Gratitude is at the heart of what we do at Nift and the gifting process is pretty simple:
Step 1: The consumer completes an action, such as leaving a review on Tripadvisor or paying on time using Afterpay.
Step 2: One of our consumer apps, Tripadvisor, thanks the consumer with an individualized ‘gift’ to a DTC brand like HelloFresh or Cirkul that is only available to them.
Step 3: The consumer chooses their gift, discovers a new brand, and becomes a consumer for life.
Gifts are curated based on a consumer’s preferences and location, so we’ll only offer gifts with the highest converting potential. A variety of exclusive gifts are available, such as $50 off a Genuine Diamond Candle from ForeverWick Candle, $30 off a $35 Fig. 1 Beauty purchase, or a nearby restaurant gift with no minimums or restrictions.
Gifts Versus Ads: Where Nift Excels
The average consumer is presented with up to 400 ads per day across various media channels, whether consciously processed or not. How many of those ads grab your attention enough to click and learn more? Probably not many.
We often get mistaken for just another digital advertising service, but Nift’s personalized gifts are not ads. There are some key differences between personalized gifts and traditional digital advertising.
Traditional advertising takes a brand’s budget and distributes it everywhere. There are some set parameters around age and demographics, but as privacy changes continue to get more strict, digital advertising is becoming more of a ‘keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best’ method. For most brands, especially small or new businesses, using traditional advertising as the only growth strategy is no longer viable.
Nift doesn’t offer gifts to just anyone. Our platform utilizes artificial intelligence to handpick consumers who are primed and ready to buy a brand’s products or services. With gifts, brands don’t have to spend exorbitant amounts of money and hope it sticks; their offers are only shown to ideal consumers.
Let’s take Fig. 1 Beauty, a high-performance and sustainable skincare brand, for example. Fig. 1 focuses on making skin health accessible to everyone, so while their formulas are neck and neck with luxury brands, their products average around $30 each. With their affordable price point, their ideal target market are individuals in their 20s and 30s. However, a traditional digital advertising platform would show their ad to a massive audience of individuals less likely to be repeat consumers.
Data further proves that gifts outperform paid social. With a reliably efficient CPA and ROAS, gifts have:
- 100% viewability
- 9% average conversion rate
- First-party data advantage
- 80% hit growth at CPA within one month
- Nift’s average CTR is 10-30% (from gift selection to the brand’s website)
Mitigate Risk With A Gift
The eCommerce world is noisy. Consumers are bombarded with hundreds of brands daily, making it difficult to choose who to shop with. There are plenty of wine or perfume subscriptions out there. How do they decide which one is the best quality? Where should they spend their hard-earned money?
High-value ‘thank you’ gifts reduce that barrier to purchase. When consumers are offered a surprise gift for something they want, the risk of shopping with that brand vanishes. You’ve made the choice to shop with your business a no-brainer, and now, you’ve got a customer for life.
Say Thank You With Real Gifts At Real Moments
With acquisition costs skyrocketing, privacy laws becoming more strict, and consumers experiencing increased ad fatigue, brands must seek alternative growth strategies. With Nift, DTC brands and restaurants see incredible growth. Take Wine Insiders, for example. Their team achieved 151% in new customer acquisition within 6 months and a 10% average new conversion rate by taking a chance on gifting. A large restaurant group we work with across all of their locations sees an average of 3 customers per day through Nift per location.
To put it simply, gifts work, and they work really well.
Our ecosystem fosters appreciation, drives acquisition, and transforms how brands connect with consumers. Interested in learning more about Nift? Schedule a demo with our team today.
About the Author
Cynthia LaRue is the Vice President of Marketing at Nift, where she develops an integrated sales and marketing growth strategy to elevate the Nift brand, foster customer awareness, and drive brand preference across various marketing channels.Cynthia’s passion lies in leveraging digital platforms to connect with customers innovatively, driving demand for Nift. Collaborating closely with the Sales Team, she spearheads efforts to transform capabilities and stay ahead in the ever-evolving e-commerce industry. Her commitment to fostering diverse and engaged teams is at the core of her approach.Throughout her career, Cynthia has navigated both scrappy startups and global enterprises. Before joining Nift, she served as the Head of Marketing for ShipStation. Her impressive track record includes pivotal roles at Fortune 500 organizations such as The Home Depot and Mars, where she focused on digital e-commerce and held P&L responsibilities for the M&M’s brand.Outside of work, Cynthia resides in the greater Houston, TX, area with her husband. She indulges her creativity by designing jewelry, exploring hiking trails, kayaking, swimming, and writing. Cynthia holds a dual degree in management and an MBA from Belhaven University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.
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