Whatnot Celebrates 5 Year Anniversary, Rolls Out New Flash Sale & Rewards Options
Live selling platform Whatnot is celebrating their 5 year anniversary today, marking the milestone with reflections from sellers and employees .
Kaitlyn Montano
December 6, 2024, marks a major milestone—Whatnot’s 5th anniversary! Over these five years, the platform has grown from a small startup into a thriving community that empowers people to transform their passions into businesses. This journey wouldn’t have been possible without the dedicated sellers, buyers, and team members who make Whatnot what it is today.
To celebrate, we’re spotlighting a few of the sellers and employees who were instrumental in shaping our story.
Co-founders Grant Fontaine and Logan Head also share a personal message, thanking sellers for helping build the Whatnot community.
As Whatnot celebrates its 5th anniversary, we’re filled with gratitude for the amazing communities that make this platform so special. Our vision has always been to empower people to transform their passions into businesses and bring people together through commerce.
Over the past five years, we’ve seen that vision come to life in incredible ways—from lifelong friendships formed on the platform to vibrant communities and businesses growing beyond imagination.
We’re excited for what’s ahead, with big plans to further support and amplify the connections, businesses, and experience that make Whatnot truly special.
The platform has experienced significant growth with over $2 Billion in GMV this year and has been shipping new features at an impressive pace.
Liz Morton
Most recently, Whatnot has added the ability for sellers to run Flash Sales to create a sense of urgency to drive sales and new enhancements to their Rewards Club offering that gives sellers tools to build buyer loyalty.
Flash Sales: Fuel Excitement, Drive Sales
Coming soon, Flash Sales give you the ability to offer customizable, limited-time discounts on Buy It Now (BIN) items, creating high-energy moments in your live streams. With a countdown timer driving urgency, Flash Sales are designed to increase conversions, move inventory, and keep your audience engaged.
Create Buzz and Urgency: Limited-time deals encourage fast action, making shopping exciting, and increasing conversion rates.
Move Inventory Quickly: Whether it’s seasonal stock or high-demand items, Flash Sales help you turn products into profits even faster.
Boost Sales Volume: Flash Sales can increase the total amount buyers spend by encouraging them to add more items while the Flash Sale deals are live.
Easy to Manage: Seamlessly integrated into your live show, Flash Sales make participation simple for buyers across Web, iOS, and Android.
Flash Sales are fully customizable, giving you the flexibility to align them with your goals. Choose the discount type (percentage or fixed price), set a duration that fits your audience, and decide whether products are available at full price outside of the sale.
Make the Most of Flash Sales:
- Strategic Timing: Launch Flash Sales at peak engagement moments in your show for maximum impact.
- Hype It Up: Use the “Pin Item” feature to tease your audience before starting a Flash Sale.
- Experiment and Learn: Try different setups to find what resonates most with your buyers.
The Flash Sale feature will be rolling out in beta testing to select users this month, and those who are interested can sign up for the waitlist here.
Whatnot introduced Rewards Club in September to help sellers drive repeat sales.
Liz Morton
Now they're rolling out some updates, including a buyer dashboard, analytics, custom badges and tiers, and custom rewards.
What’s New in Season 2?
Season 2 introduces several new features to help you refine and elevate your Rewards Club program:
Buyer Dashboard: Buyers can now see their progress, unused coupons, and tier activity in real time, creating transparency and encouraging ongoing engagement.
Seller Analytics Tab: Gain detailed insights into your Rewards Club performance, including total spend by tier, coupon usage, and more. Use this data to fine-tune your program and maximize results.
Custom Badges & Tier Names (Beta): Personalize your Rewards Club experience with branded visuals and tier names that reflect your community’s identity.
Custom Rewards (Beta): Delight your buyers with unique rewards like branded items or exclusive experiences. Currently in closed beta, this feature will be rolled out to more sellers soon.
Are you a Whatnot seller? I'd love to hear what you think about how far the platform has come in 5 years and what you'd like to see from them in the future. Leave a comment below or contact VAR!
