# Social Currency Shops The ooVootique Lets Social Media Influencers Trade ooVoo Friends for Merch By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2015-05-21 | Marketing Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/oovoo References: [psfk](http://www.psfk.com/2015/05/oovootique-oovoo-pop-up-shop-exchange-friends-for-products.html) & [oovoo](http://www.oovoo.com/) Although many young Millennials fresh out of school may be poor in cash, they tend to be rich in friends, as ooVoo realized. Knowing that money holds less value than [social currency](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/discord-orbs) for this group, the video and chat messaging app set up a shop called the ooVootique, where its users could trade in their ooVoo friends for products. At the [pop-up shop](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/not-a-sock-shop), there are satchels, knickknacks and even bicycles that can be traded for over 1,000 ooVoo friends. The more friends you have on the app, the richer you feel. There's even a Hundred Grand bar that can be exchanged for 100,000 friends. As well as encouraging people to get active on the app, the temporary shop also sparks a fear of missing out that urges new users to download the app and get chatting right away. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.2/10 - Popularity: 55% | Activity: 94% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/marketing) > [Interactive](https://www.trendhunter.com/interactive) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Social Currency Trade-ins:** Businesses can create opportunities for people to trade in their social currency (such as followers or friends) for products or services. - **Fear of Missing Out Strategy:** Companies can incorporate FOMO-inducing tactics into their marketing campaigns to encourage new users to try their products or services. - **Social Media-based Rewards:** Businesses can offer rewards or incentives in exchange for engagement on social media platforms to increase brand awareness and customer loyalty. ### Who This Affects Most - **Social Media:** Social media platforms can introduce social currency trade-ins to encourage more engagement among users. - **Retail:** Retailers can offer special items that customers can only get through social media-based rewards programs. - **Marketing:** Marketers can use FOMO-inducing tactics to increase customer engagement and drive sales for their clients. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Peer-Powered Gifting Initiatives](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/peer-powered-gifting.md) - [Viral Social Shopping Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/claim-app.md) - [Social Commerce Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/21-buttons.md) - [In-Store Swap Shops](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/primark-swap-shop.md) - [Social Shopping Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/locker.md) - [Social Commerce Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gist.md) - [Counter-Loneliness Social Spaces](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/friendship-corner.md) - [Virtual Social Media Currencies](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/discord-orbs.md) - [Influencer Photo Monetization Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/monetization-apps.md)