“What Mattress Was That?” Origin Ventures’ Investment in Glimpse
A Glimpse of the Future of Product Placement
Showrooms and malls have been in decline as the share of retail spending via e-commerce steadily grows year-after-year – a trend that the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated. The opportunities for consumers to sample products in showrooms and stores are becoming scarce and brands need new ways to place products in front of consumers for sampling, feedback, and impressions.
Origin Ventures is pleased to announce our investment in Glimpse, a B2B marketplace for brands to place products in short-term real estate rentals such as Airbnbs and VRBOs. Digital Native consumers expect brands to meet them where they are, whether online or offline. The days of sitting on a mattress in a showroom for 10 minutes are in the past; we now get 100 days to sleep on a Casper mattress at home.
Glimpse offers brands effective sampling channels and impression marketing. In-person, natural impressions are gold for B2C brands compared to digital and TV ads. Glimpse works with brands to turn physical interaction into online relationships via sales attribution and awareness measurement.
The company’s growing network of hosts can opt into up to four product campaigns across the Glimpse “catalog.” An Airbnb landlord can choose products like free or discounted bidets from Tushy, mattresses from Ghostbed, or cocktail makers from Drinkworks which are drop-shipped directly to the rental properties.
Travelers are increasingly placing a premium on experiences, and Glimpse offers stays filled with free snacks, drinks, high-end toiletries and new durable goods such as a countertop cocktail maker and a newly designed couch.
As hotels deal with weak demand during the COVID-19 crisis, the short-term rental market has proven resilient as travelers exchange stays at crowded hotels for stand-alone vacation homes. We are very bullish on the continued growth of the short-term rental economy, led by Airbnb’s impressive growth and the longer tail of consolidating large property managers.
Glimpse joins other Origin Ventures portfolio companies Blueboard and Cameo in the “experience economy.” Research shows that 78% of Millennials would rather invest in experiences than material goods, and natural interaction with new products in an Airbnb is a welcome sight for guests looking for differentiated experiences.
Origin Ventures V is excited to lead Glimpse’s $1.5M seed round backing co-founders Akash Raju, Anuj Mehta, and Kushal Negi as they create this new, better, and more organic category of “product placement.” Their vision of a deeper interaction between product and consumer is a win-win-win for guests, hosts, and brands. Your next Airbnb welcome gift is on Glimpse!
