RALEIGH, N.C. — A Raleigh woman has launched a new app called ReUp that aims to change the way customers shop online.
ReUp founder Meka Knepley describes the app as a mix between Amazon and TikTok. It's an infinite scroll, where customers can see product videos one after another and even purchase from vendors while they’re streaming live.
"I can go on the app, see all lives, it might be 100 or 1,000 going on," Knepley said. "I pick the category of the live I want to see. If I want to see makeup or shoes, I can go to those lives and they present the product in real time and I can ask them feedback.”
Knepley says she first saw this type of shopping in documentaries out of China and got inspired to launch something similar here in the U.S. She says it’s the future of shopping.
"Live streaming is going to be a huge business in the next five years, and I just wanted to be one of the trailblazers that is ahead of the game in implementing my app," she said.
She is working with about 900 vendors, including makers in North Carolina.
Knepley is proud of the products she carries, but also proud of the inclusivity the app provides.
"If you’re a woman, minority, LGBTQ+ or disabled, you can have a badge (on your profile)," Knepley said. "So if people want to shop woman-owned, they can. It doesn’t just have to be a certain time of the year for them to do it... I feel like it's super-important because a lot of brands get overlooked because they might be a minority- or woman-owned and I want to put those brands at the forefront.”
Knepley launched both ReUp for consumers and Sell on ReUp that is specifically for vendors.