Two former Google and Starbucks executives are building a social shopping platform. The Tuli app is said to merge the best parts of Amazon and Instagram into a global community of shoppers, influencers and merchants.
 
Shopping malls were once a social hub, a place where people could meet friends, eat food and explore new brands. Tuli wants to create a digital mall where shoppers can buy their favourite things and experiences directly from friends, celebrities and influencers.
 
Founder and CEO David Wilmot has previously launched successful companies and spent many years as a Starbucks and Pressed Juicery executive. His co-founder and CMO Meysam Moradpour is a digital executive who spent many years at Google, Yum Brands and Mastercard.
 
“We’re obsessed with building products that connect us,” said Wilmot. “We built Tuli with this purpose and our passion for community, inclusivity and human connection are imbedded in our company DNA. In today’s challenging world, Tuli connects us in a different way bringing true community to ecommerce.”
 
With today’s Covid-19 pandemic, restaurants are among the hardest hit industries. Tuli’s initial focus has been supporting restaurants with a contactless digital menu. It includes online ordering at a ten per cent commission including credit-card fees.
 
Soon, Tuli will be offering the same service to various retailers across North America.
 
With more than 600,000 food locations already pre-built, Tuli makes it easy for restaurants to sign up. Simply visit Tuli, search for the restaurant, and click “claim and sign up”. Customer support will then make contact to build a full profile and a menu free of charge.
 
Marketing in the food and retail industries is very inefficient. Tuli helps reduce these costs by allowing restaurant managers to engage directly with customers and influencers on the same app.
 
Restaurant managers have more time and money to concentrate on things that really matter such as food quality, operations and employee support. This ultimately leads to a better customer experience and repeat business.
 
“We need to elevate the current ecommerce experience from a solo sport that’s heavily skewed towards promotions and discounts,” said Moradpour. “It’s really dull, boring and purely transactional and was never intended to be fun. That’s not how people actually shop in real life. Shoppers ask their friends for recommendations, they browse, discover new brands, read reviews and validate with their social circles. Tuli takes all the fun parts of shopping and turns it into a digital platform.”
 
Tuli can connect thousands of shoppers, influencers, celebrities and merchants at a touch of a button.
 
Today, when someone shops at retail stores, they seek advice from people they trust on the latest trends; 83 per cent of people say they trust recommendations from family, colleagues and friends about products and services. In addition, 71 per cent are more likely to purchase based on social media referrals.
 
That’s what Tuli wants to achieve with social shopping instead of today’s common search, pay and leave model.
 
Instead of just making recommendations on social media posts, now with Tuli, users can make money off their good taste. With Tuli’s next update, anybody can be an influencer and receive a minimum of two per cent credit for future purchases from every sale they recommend.
 
“We don’t want to make the mistake where only a few big influencers make lots of money,” said Moradpour. “There’s a lot of people who say they have a lot of followers, but the real test is how many people will actually trust them enough with recommendations.”
 
Each post on Tuli includes an automatic shoppable product link, so users can see real recommendations from real people. If someone is inspired by one of these posts, they simply click on the link and purchase the product immediately.
 
In addition to Tuli’s social feed, users can also shop inside ecommerce shops where they can discover new designers and buy unknown brands.
 
Tuli’s founding team is also working with medical researchers to implement features that elevate the mental health of its users through inspiration, esteem and belonging.