A number of AFL players have thrown their weight and money behind a new shopping app, which is claimed to be a market disrupting application for consumers.
Entrepreneurs and former baggage handlers for Virgin Australia, Ben Morris and Danijel Jefic, have launched a mobile app called Rack, which allows consumers to share information about products they have purchased.
According to the developers, the app has attracted AFL players Brandon Ellis, Jonathan O'Rourke and Tommy Sheridan as investors.
Morris and Jefic set out with the intention of taking on Instagram, to fundamentally change the way people shop and share.
{loadposition stan}They partnered with Buzinga App Development to design and develop the application, the first version of which launched successfully with no marketing investment.
In its first three days, Rack was downloaded more than 1000 times, achieved 5-star rating and 500,000 sessions in the first month.
Rack enables consumers to show off what's in their "Rack" - what they are buying and where they are buying it from, in a simple user-friendly layout.
Users can also add items to their own "want list", a function designed to eliminate the problem of not knowing what gift to buy someone.
Founders Morris and Jefic said, "For us, our core focus is on building a product that people love and want to use every day.
"We were sick of experiencing and hearing all the time, 'I saw these shoes on Instagram, but I have no idea what the brand is or where we can buy it from'. Rack solves that problem."
Users include Australian fashion icon and media personality Didier Cohen, with A-list stylists using the platform to share their season favourites.
The term "What’s in your Rack?" has already been coined by users, the developers claim.
With this app the 'bare minimum' of its functionality, following the start-up Minimum Viable Product roadmap future app iterations in the pipeline will aim to fundamentally change the way consumers shop and share their belongings with the world.
Morris and Jefic approached Buzinga with the idea for Rack in early 2015, and appointed the award-winning agency to support technical delivery, including design, development, branding, user experience design and product testing.
Jason Couts, lead project manager at Buzinga, said, "Working with the Rack team has been an exciting process as Ben and Danijel look to fundamentally change how we shop.
"With the Minimum Viable Product just gone live, and the app's rapid success so far, we've been able to draw some incredibly valuable insights into where the app can be optimised, and look forward to continually improving the product as it grows in impact and popularity."
Rack's Ben Morris added, "From the start, we've had the right team on board with our technical partner and our investors and advisers.
"Buzinga understood exactly what we were trying to achieve and why.
"They’ve been a fantastic partner, and with the further support from our AFL investors, we're thrilled with the success of Rack to date, and are excited about where the product and business are going."
Morris told iTWire that the app was presently available only for IOS, but the Rack team had set its sights on an Android version in the near future.