Available as a pre-order, Flapit (www.flapit.com) is the first physical counter to connect with all major social media platforms. Inspired by the iconic 1960s split-flap design, Flapit is not only easy to use and fun to watch, but also a powerful, interactive marketing tool.
Flapit was first released in London at the end of last year and became an instant success. From February this year, Flapit is available for the first time to the South African market.
With nearly two thirds of customers saying they are more likely to trust a business with a social media following over a business without one, Flapit allows brands to show off social metrics (such as likes, followers and check-ins) and encourage customer engagement, helping bridge the gap between online and offline environments.
With six alpha-numeric split-flaps, Flapit can display metrics up to 999 999 alongside pre-installed logos for one of 11 leading online platforms – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Yelp, Instagram, Google+, Foursquare, Swarm, Weibo, Dianping, VKontakte and Google Analytics. When not showing a logo, the counter can display metrics of up to 9 999 999.
Flapit is designed for business and can be placed anywhere: in a store window; on display at your agency; or on the wall of your restaurant or hotel.
It’s also incredibly easy to customise, allowing brands to experiment with Flapit as they see fit. For example, retailers could use the counter to display the price of a specific promotion or item, or advertise a discount if their followers reach a certain figure during the day. Similarly, a hotel reception might use it to display their Facebook star rating, but also occasionally show the time or a custom welcome message to guests. Finally, agencies and offices can use the Flapit API to display the figures most relevant to them and their business.
Maureen Allen, owner of MBA Consulting, a website design and social media marketing and training company, is the sole distributor of Flapit in South Africa.
Allen started MBA Consulting in 2013 after working her way up the corporate ladder in the telecommunications industry to become the Client Services Supervisor and second-in-command to the regional director of Huge Telecom. She was also recently appointed as Assistant Director for Business Network International and runs three KwaZulu-Natal chapters.
It was at the recent Web Summit conference held in Ireland in November last year that Maureen was introduced to the physical offline social media counter, Flapit, and she quickly identified its huge marketing potential for businesses.
“The biggest question that is always raised with us is, ‘How do we get our potential clients to interact with us online?’,” explains Allen. “The first time I saw the Flapit Counter I knew that I had found the answer! We are extremely excited to be affiliated with such a revolutionary product and look forward to helping the South African market in building successful online communities.”
CEO and founder of Flapit, Christophe Avignon, said that social media is more important for businesses now than ever before.
“Over 60% of customers already check a business’ social media page while on site. Many of these customers are more likely to trust and recommend a business that has a larger fan base or better review scores. Flapit helps turn this consumer behaviour into business opportunity,” said Avignon.
The counter is available to pre-order via the Flapit website and first shipments will take place in April 2015.
