Mobile App for Friends to Give Free and Paid Digital Gift Cards From Attractive Brands Receives Rave Reviews in Swedish Tests; U.K. Retailers Begin Signing Up
SAN FRANCISCO – September 28, 2011 – Wrapp, the new social gifting service that lets friends celebrate occasions with free and paid digital gift cards from attractive brands, has completed its first round of testing in Sweden and is now preparing for introduction in the U.S. and U.K.
Created for social media and smartphone users, Wrapp makes it fun and easy to give, receive and redeem gift cards using mobile devices, and allows friends to contribute to gift cards given by mutual friends.
Gift cards, a $100 billion industry in the U.S., have been the most popular gift request for four years running, according to the National Retail Federation.
“Sweden validated our belief that people want to make giving gifts of real value among friends an everyday event, and don’t want to limit it to just birthdays, holidays or other big occasions,” said Hjalmar Winbladh, Wrapp co-founder and CEO. “Everyone likes to be recognized and celebrated. Attractive brands are providing the free gift cards. All you have to do is choose one and send it to a friend. No strings attached.”
Wrapp was started earlier this year by Winbladh with some of the best and brightest young entrepreneurs in Sweden, including Andreas Ehn, Spotify’s founding chief technology officer; Carl Fritjofsson, former advisor to Groupon Sweden; Aage Reerslev, founder of mobile browser Squace; and Fabian Mansson, former CEO of H&M and Eddie Bauer. Winbladh co-founded Sendit, the first mobile Internet company, where he served as CEO, and took it public in 1997, before being acquired by Microsoft. In 2006 Winbladh co-founded Rebtel, the world’s largest independent mobile VoIP company.
Gift partners participating in the Wrapp tests in Sweden include the country’s largest sporting goods retailer Stadium, designer underwear brand Björn Borg, street wear fashion WeSC and home improvement chain Clas Ohlson among others. Last week, four London retailers signed on as charter gift partners for Wrapp’s U.K. introduction later this year.
Although currently operating only in Sweden, people around the world are welcome to download the Wrapp mobile app today and celebrate by giving digital gift cards to friends in Sweden.
How Wrapp Works
Download the Wrapp mobile app from Apple’s App Store or the Android Market, or use the web app at www.wrapp.com.
Connect the app to your Facebook account, and choose a friend to celebrate and one of the offered free or paid gift cards. Select a delivery date, add a greeting and additional funds to the gift if you wish, and press Give.
To redeem the digital gift cards, just click on the link on your Facebook Wall or in the text message or email from the person giving the gift. Download the Wrapp mobile app to your phone. When you’re in the store, press the Use button in the app, and present the gift card and its barcode displayed on the phone’s screen to the cashier, who will scan it to complete the transaction.
About Wrapp
Wrapp is a social gifting service for celebrating friends’ occasions with free and paid gifts from attractive brands. Wrapp allows friends to contribute to gifts, and makes it fun and easy to give, receive and redeem using mobile devices and the web. Founded in the first half of 2011 by a group of serial entrepreneurs, Wrapp is based in Stockholm and Silicon Valley. Celebrate with friends every day at www.wrapp.com.
