Thumb, the opinion-polling mobile app, has been growing swiftly. But long ago, before users were asking about their love lives or how sexy their abs look from this angle, the vision for Thumb was focused on products, as well as the influence friends and family have on purchasing decisions.
Now, 1.2 million+ users later, the dream of product-centered opinion is a reality, with the launch of Thumb’s new Holiday Shopping category. Clearly, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the weeks leading up to Christmas are some of the busiest shopping times of the year, and Thumb wants to capitalize on that in terms of user engagement.
But taking it a step further, Thumb is even more intent on collecting data on its users’ purchasing decisions and influence. This data has huge opportunities associated with it. Thumb could partner with brands for sponsored items, index items based on location and price, or simply run promotions with brand partners.
For right now, however, the focus is on giving users a clear path to discuss what they’ll buy for friends, family, and themselves this holiday season. After envisioning a product that does all of the above and more, the Thumb team quickly learned that users weren’t as focused on products as they were on a plethora of random things, mostly themselves. The team also learned that users would rather have an unbiased opinion from the public than answers from friends and family.
After perfecting the app to function under these circumstances, Thumb is now reintroducing the first step in collecting data around product conversations.
The best part of the Shopping category is Thumb itself. The app offers between 50 and 100 responses in the first few minutes, allowing mobile shoppers to ask questions on the spot and get feedback before moving on to another store or giving up entirely. Plus, the app can target opinions based on age and gender, which allows users to get feedback from the proper demographic.
All in all, it’s the beginning of something pretty wonderful (and quite clever) at Thumb.