Echoes is the first participatory crowd marketing application in Reunion, specialized in findings, controls, surveys and satisfaction surveys.
I-Echoes, the Reunion startup which designed and is launching this service locally, is aimed on the one hand at brands, companies, communities, keen to know how their products and services actually work on a daily basis, on the other hand to consumers interested in making ends meet by carrying out observation “missions”.
The mystery shopper in the digital age : in its principle, le concept de crowd marketing (marketing them a lot) mobilizes hundreds or even thousands of paid “consumer actors” in exchange for anonymous and confidential observations. As, For example, to note the visibility of a brand on the shelves of all the stores that distribute it in a territory. Strengths : the completeness of information thanks to the mass effect, its digital transmission and digital analysis in real time thanks to the mobile application available to investigators. Crowd marketing is exploding all over the world. In France, it has developed over the past ten years to the point of sometimes bringing together communities of investigators of more than a million people. Companies like the former startup Yoobic have built their reputation and success 
on this model.
Crowd marketing arrives today in Reunion with the same level of professionalism. Startup currently integrated into Village by CA, Echoes adapts the concept to the scale of the island territory with a dual offer : on the one hand to professional customers (marques, signs, franchises, tradespeople, SME, public establishments, communities, etc.), on the other hand, to consumers interested in playing the role of investigative “agents” for remuneration. Or two websites dedicated to one and the other public.
For professionals, real-time information
Echoes is a collaborative platform that offers its customers the opportunity to carry out “missions”. The findings procedure (a minimum of five observations of five different agents in the same location within a short period of time) guarantees their validity. Once collected, the data is processed. The numerical analysis reveals, in the form of a dashboard of graphics, points forts, weak points, areas for improvement, which lead to recommendations. If there is a need to correct the situation, the customer can do it instantly. Hence a saving of time, but also cost compared to a classic mystery shopper survey. The service is covered by a confidentiality charter and meets GDPR standards.
Various products are offered. The “mystery visit” is of interest to economic players for whom visibility is an essential subject. Multiplied, for example, it will give an exhaustive measure of the conformity of commercial operations in all the points of sale of a brand. But it can have other applications. For everything related to customer experience. For competitive intelligence (price statement, comparative analysis of offers, customer perception…). For the study of conformity of places based on criteria selected by the client (compliance with health and safety protocol, hygiene, reduced mobility…). Likewise, mystery phone call reveals wait time, customer support, processing of the request… Echoes also offers website analysis and social media auditing. Finally, last part where we see the interest in being able to mobilize a significant number of investigating agents, these are customer satisfaction surveys and surveys with feedback and analysis of information in real time.
For consumers, a profitable helping hand
Barely his Facebook page online, Echoes received around fifty reports without having asked for anything ! The opportunity, however, to show potential customers how the system works and what it can bring them... And the first missions followed. “We are looking for (…) agents to participate in price surveys in a cosmetics and perfumery store, agents with disabilities for compliance studies in public places, Cilaos resident agents, agents traveling by electric bike, agents using public transport…” we read on the website dedicated to agents.
Loïc Hello, IT developer, co-founder of Echoes : “The echoes mobile application can be downloaded for free from Appstore and Playstore. Once registered, the person chooses the observation they want to make from a list. She has 24 hours to do it. For an observation, this generally involves taking a geotagged and dated photo and completing the questionnaire co-designed with the client. The multiplication of findings allows us to validate the observation. Everything is done via the app. » “The report is anonymous and the agent signs a confidentiality agreement. A simple report is paid from two or three euros. » explains Christophe Jacquety, other co-founder of the company.
A new profession ?
For more elaborate missions, Echoes trains “expert agents” internally. Ali Belahcene, former private investigator, third partner of Echoes : “The training lasts seven hours. The agent imbues himself with the interpersonal skills and know-how of the investigator. He learns tricks of course, but in compliance with ethics. This training prepares you for collecting more complex data, to longer and more detailed questionnaires. » Pour Echoes, these trained agents will create a pool of more reliable and regular employees. Their missions may be paid up to 20 euros. “In terms of status, we will strictly respect the regulations in force applying to this type of activity, which is linked to the level of remuneration” warns Ali Belahcene. Which means that Echoes is already considering that, for certain agents, these missions become a complementary activity and, why not, the start of a professional specialization (mystery shopper is a job in mainland France). The mobile app was launched last month. The startup sets itself the objective of building a community of a thousand agents in the coming months.
To know more
For professionals : i-echoes.re
For agents : echoes.re
“ECHOES Earn money” application.
