Inside Washington, Missouri: Upside's most active market

Washington, Missouri is a community of about 10 square miles, situated an hour west of St. Louis on the south banks of the Missouri. It has more than 400 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s known as the “corncob pipe capital of the world.”

There are many special things about Washington, but the competitive dynamics for its retailers look rather ordinary. Regional grocers fight for share with Walmart right down the road. Fuel retailers work to convince drivers to bypass the station across the street — maybe even make an inconvenient left turn.

A handful of major retailers in Washington have figured out how to do just that. They’ve partnered with Upside to offer personalized, cash-back promotions to their customers. And despite its small stature, Washington is the most active market on our platform.

In this town of roughly 15,000 residents, 64% of them are active Upside users. They’ve earned more than $1 million in cash back all-time. Meanwhile, our retail partners in Washington have gained over 125,000 trips from Upside users, most of whom had never visited prior to claiming their offer.

Behind those numbers are people like Jenny, a Washington resident and longtime Upside user.

Meet Jenny, small-business owner and Upside super-user 

Jenny lives in Washington with her husband and four children. Back in 2022, one of her sons first told her about the Upside app — and she recalls now that she thought there had to be a catch.

“I was like, this can’t be right. It was a lot of money,” she said. “But I told my husband about it, and now, my family loves the Upside app. We’re constantly looking at it to see new businesses in our area that join.” 

With a diverse group of retailers to choose from across the gas, grocery, and restaurant categories, Jenny has claimed more than 400 offers over the past four years. She says it’s become a bit of a game to see how much she can earn and cash out — maybe even a friendly competition amongst family members.

“My family, we’re constantly texting each other,” she said. “Where should we go for gas? Which store has the best offers? We really enjoy it.”

That wide selection is not only beneficial to consumers, but to each individual retailer, as well; every time Jenny visits the app and claims an offer in one category, it helps to form habits for the other purchases she makes regularly. 

Jenny’s most frequent stop is Schnucks, which she visits about once a week. She fills up her gas tank at Casey’s every two weeks, on average. She uses Upside to find quick meals for her family of six, too — a favorite is Burger King.

For Jenny, every dollar she earns helps to support a new vision. She is preparing a grand opening for Flosters Main, her new small business in downtown Washington. It’s a clothing and home goods store featuring thrifted finds. 

Jenny is excited to use the business to support foster families, raising awareness and inspiring others to open their homes to children in need. Her motto for Flosters Main is “good people doing good things” — a testament to the community she passionately supports.

Across Washington, Jenny and her neighbors use the Upside app to get cash back to provide for their households. But they’re also pouring their energy into making their community the best place it can be.

Upside got a similar community-oriented start. It was an idea to boost a single Pennsylvania town. 

10 years of Upside: From vision to impact

Upside co-founder and CEO Alex Kinnier cares deeply about his community, just like Jenny does. He first conceived of Upside to serve the small businesses of Doylestown, the historic borough outside Philadelphia where he grew up. 

He worked at a few of them during high school, putting in early mornings opening the local bookstore and newspaper stand. Those experiences deepened his connection to his hometown and helped him to afford his first big purchase: his car. 

Upside’s mission flowed directly from his experiences in Doylestown. Alex envisioned leveling the playing field for brick-and-mortar retailers — who, unlike their peers in e-commerce, didn’t have tools to personalize and optimize experiences for their customers. 

Upside was founded in 2016, so this year marks a decade since launch. As our marketplace matures, we can point to more and more markets that have achieved the vision Alex first had for Doylestown. 

Despite its small size, Washington, Missouri is a model for all American retailers and cities, even those much larger. It’s a picture of what Upside can deliver to every retailer with time and scale.

When a retailer joins the Upside marketplace, consumers have more opportunities to earn. That increase in potential value attracts consumers to the app, delivering more transactions to our retail partners. The lift in transactions and potential customers further attracts retailers to the platform — which restarts the cycle, alternatively increasing participating consumers and retailers in a virtuous loop. 

What this means for prospective retailers

Washington is just one town, but it’s not an anomaly. Today, there are thousands of people like Jenny in Washington, and many millions more around the country.

The underlying metrics of its marketplaces are replicable across America — and taking advantage could help retailers like you achieve growth goals in even the most challenging competitive conditions. For retailers, the risk is limited: if a trip wasn’t actually new, Upside covers the cost of the offer.

But the market doesn’t wait for everyone. Though all participating retailers win in a robust, multi-category marketplace, first movers benefit disproportionately. Not only do they secure the real estate for as many of their locations as possible, but they capture the full demand from each influx of new users.

When new brands join Upside, users like Jenny take notice. She’s eager to earn more on her everyday spend, and in the process, she’s driving real impact for local retailers, too. 

From Doylestown to Washington, Upside is on a mission to make brick-and-mortar commerce more efficient for everyone. When we bring together buyers and sellers in our marketplace, each side gets more value. 

See why Upside resonates so deeply with Jenny and her neighbors — download the app today and try it out for yourself.