Melbourne adtech Unlockd launches loyalty rewards offering with Flybuys partnership

Melbourne-founded adtech startup Unlockd has today announced the launch of Unlockd Loyalty, a new offering looking to give users the chance to earn rewards associated with loyalty programs for viewing curated ads and content.

Kicking off as the central loyalty platform for the startup is Unlock Rewards, a new Android app platform launching alongside a partnership with Coles to reward users with Flybuys points for spending their time, rather than money.

Flybuys members are able to earn 1000 flybuy points – the equivalent value of $5 – a month for viewing offers, as well as curated content and ads on the platform; these appear when they unlock their Android smartphone, leveraging the same reward model used by the startup’s flagship adtech platform.

Through a mobile app, Unlockd’s core platform allows customer to earn extra data or calling credit by viewing targeted ads on their lockscreen, which are customised by a user’s preferences, location and current time of day.

The service offers a way for mobile carriers to increase their average revenue per user [ARPU], while advertisers are able to better reach their target audiences.

Unlockd’s CEO and cofounder Matt Berriman said the launch of Unlockd Loyalty comes as part of the company’s natural growth, which has been focused on drawing value from providing user engagement since being established at the beginning of last year.

“Unlockd’s mission from day one has been to help people all around the world receive rewards from the value they create from moments spent on their digital devices. Our intention was always for Unlockd’s technology to be applied to multiple industries that could provide their consumers with this value exchange,” he said.

According to the latest data from First Point Research and Consulting, approximately 84 percent of Australians are signed up to at least one loyalty program, with Coles Flybuys pinned as the most popular in the nation, followed by Woolworths Everyday Rewards.

Speaking about the partnership, Adam Story, Coles General Manager of Loyalty, said the company is always looking for new innovative avenues to for its members to accumulate points, with Unlockd providing an opportunity in that direction.

“It’s exciting to be partnering with an Australian company to provide our members with rewards just for unlocking their Android phones,” he said.

Unlockd Loyalty will join the ranks of proprietary technologies developed by the startup including Unlockd Stream, a platform launched early this year alongside MTV which provides content and ads using a subscription model.

Spurring on growth for the startup, May saw Unlockd raise $30.7 million Series B led by Asian telecommunications company Axiata Digital.

Combined with the funding, Unlockd also partnered with Axiata to help accelerate the business’s growth into Asia, leveraging the company’s carrier list to expand its solution to new customers.

Image: Matt Berriman. Source: Supplied.