44. Gloople

Founder: Warren Knight and Julian Morency
Founded: September 2010 (launched January 2011)
Website: www.gloople.co.uk

With social commerce set to see explosive growth in the next few years, the rewards for pioneers in this space are potentially huge. Through its innovative e-commerce platform, Gloople is well placed to cash in. As well as enabling customers to purchase goods through a retailer’s own website or Facebook fanpage, on a smartphone or tablet device, Gloople offers ‘social sharing’ features. Customers can invite their friends to join in on a group discount; share their purchase on Facebook or Twitter (and be rewarded with a discount for doing so); and review products.

Realising that existing e-commerce platforms weren’t designed for the growth of social or mobile commerce, the co-founders spotted a gap for a simple, ‘out-of-the-box’ solution, to help small businesses take advantage of these channels with minimal effort. As well as selling its own software, Gloople works a digital agency, developing online stores for brands.