Two free Canadian mobile apps allowing users to access dozens of local retail flyers have attracted millions of downloads across the country from people seeking a bargain on their groceries.
Flipp, created in 2007 by former Microsoft engineers but launched for iOS in 2013, is competing with two University of Waterloo students who created reebee in 2012. Flipp boasts six million downloads in Canada, while reebee has more than two million.
Both apps offer similar search functions, shopping lists, coupon clippings, and flyers for users based on their locations.
Neither is targeted towards students specifically, but both companies said their apps can be beneficial to them, particularly because students often have limited budgets and always carry their smartphones with them.
Michal Martyniak, one of reebee’s co-founders, said he and fellow founder Tobiasz Dankiewicz realized students struggled to find grocery deals because retailers didn’t deliver flyers to student residences.
“It was towards the end of our university education where we started throwing around ideas of building an app to deliver [flyers and deals],” he said. “It was right around the time when smartphones were already big, and tablets were gaining a lot of traction, and those two platforms were really ideal for presenting a flyer.”
Dankiewicz added many students come into university unprepared to shop for groceries on their own.
“When you’re in high school, you’re with your parents predominantly—they’ve been providing since you were in elementary,” he said.
Charmaine D’Silva, director of communications at Flipp, said she believes the app simplifies the student grocery experience.
As an example, she said users can search for food such as ground beef and the app will provide information on coupons or different sales going on during the week.
“You can virtually plan out all your meals based on what’s on sale, and you really don’t even ever have to pay full price,” she said. “You could plan ahead, plan your trips, put together your list, and save.”
Marie MacMillan, a second-year Carleton University law and humanities student, said she uses Flipp to look at local flyers instead of visiting different websites.
“I find produce is super expensive, so I can go on the app and be like ‘Oh, Metro has a good price on this’ and then I can go to that store instead of . . . making the mistake of going to a store that doesn’t have the deals you’re looking for,” she said.
She added she thinks a lot of students have trouble finding deals because many don’t have cars and can’t drive out to discount grocery stores. Instead, they have to make do with whatever grocery stores are within walking distance.
Despite the identical competitor, Dankiewicz said such apps mark a change of consumers’ taste from paper to digital technology.
“It’s great that consumers are really taking on digital,” he said.
