Qmee tops 100K users, posts 500% growth

 Qmee’s search-loyalty, cash-reward browser app on Sept. 12 celebrated a major tech industry milestone: 100,000 active users. The platform’s growth has hardly been a slow build. Qmee’s count of active users has increased 500 percent since September 2013, leading CNNMoney.com to suggest it could be the future of online search [http://money.cnn.com/2014/08/22/smallbusiness/qmee-search-ads/].

“It’s a domino effect: Once you hit 1,000 you want 10,000; once you hit 10K you want 20K,” said co-founder and CEO Jonathan Knight. “But when you hit 100,000, you’re a key player in the game. It’s a number you have to hit if you’re going to survive long-term, and we’re really proud of reaching this number in just a little over a year.”

London-based Qmee first was put to the test when it was released from BETA to the general public in May 2013. Knowing that word-of-mouth is key in spreading any concept to the masses, the company soon released referral codes to both its U.S. and U.K. users in September 2013, offering them the ability to earn $1 or 50 pence for every friend who became a Qmee user through their code. “You search every day of your life, and 65 to 75 percent of your search results have been paid for by a company,” Knight said. “The average Internet user doesn’t realize that a search engine can earn an average of $80 per year based on their searching habits. It only seems right that the value created by consumers should be credited back to them in some small way without changing their search behavior at all.” Qmee.com installs into any of the major browsers and rewards consumers for clicking on links to the results they otherwise would click for no reward. However, upon clicking into the Qmee search results, the user’s account is credited with cash micropayments, typically between 4 cents and 15 cents. The payments can be cashed out at any time to a PayPal account. In preparation for the next stage in growth, Qmee is gearing up to launch a new dashboard for users of the app, allowing clearer visibility into Qmee news, social activity and new features, including a loyalty program. “Our app is meant to be used for your normal every day search activity,” said co-founder and COO Nick Sutton. “When users are cashing in on rewards every now and then for their typical and genuine search behavior, we want to be able to reward them even more, which will be the goal of our loyalty program.” Qmee also will expand its partnerships with different charities to aid in their fundraising efforts, Knight said. From day one, the app has given users two cash-out options: a deposit directly to a personal PayPal account or a donation to charity. “It makes us unique that we have this option,” he said, “and it’s a perfect fit for us since our whole mantra is all about giving back.” For those seeking to put money back into their community, funds can be directly routed through Qmee to one of many affiliated charitable or non-profit causes, including the American Red Cross and Intrepid Fallen Heroes. Any charity can be added as a Qmee cash-out option fairly easily, so long as the user ensures Qmee has the rights to use the charity’s logo on its website. “It’s really simple to get charities set up, and just imagine what a few cents from 100,000 people (and counting) could do for an organization,” Knight added. In an effort to continue further growth, particularly in the United States, Qmee has expanded its team in Chicago. “As we continue to grow, we add more users and more advertising and affiliate partners, which leads to more Qmee results and more cash rewards for good Qmee users and more consumer traffic to advertisers’ sites,” Sutton said. “Our growth is a win-win for everyone involved, and we’re excited for the next stage of our growth. Next up, 200,000!”