Elephanti is a newly launched mobile app and website, available for both iPhone and Android devices, that drives consumers to brick and mortar shops by connecting retailers and shoppers. Merchants go online and create profiles of their products and services, including descriptions, images, store maps and special offers. Simultaneously, consumers create profiles of brands and products they are interested in. Elephanti determines consumers’ locations, and based on their profiles, alerts them of merchants in the immediate area that carry the products and services they desire.
The app is free for both merchants and consumers, but merchants must offer a minimum two percent discount to Elephanti members, as an incentive to get people into stores as opposed to buying online. Merchants have dashboards so they know when an Elephanti consumer has entered their stores and “checked in,” and they can give the consumer the Elephanti merchant discount. In addition, Merchants may choose to advertise on the app. “Creating ads on Elephanti is very easy,” says Lalin Jinasena, Elephanti creator and company CEO. “In fact, we do the creative work and you only have to select an ad style and say ok. We charge for an advert, not on clicks and views, but only when a customer who has seen the advert visits your store and checks in to your store profile on the Elephanti app.” The fee is about $2 per check in.