Entrepreneurs and former baggage handlers for Virgin Australia, Ben Morris and Danijel Jefic have launched disruptive mobile app Rack which is set to light the online consumerism world on fire.
No longer wanting to ‘work for the man’, Morris and Jefic set out to explore their entrepreneurial spirit and take on Instagram, with the grand vision to fundamentally change the way people shop and share.
Partnering with Buzinga App Development to design and develop the application and backed by investment from AFL players, the first version app has launched with a bang with no marketing dollar investments.
Within its first three days of launching and with no paid marketing, Rack was downloaded over 1,000 times, achieved 5-star rating and eclipsed 500,000 sessions in the first month – an Australian industry anomaly.
What exactly is Rack?
Rack enables consumers to show off what’s in their ‘Rack’ what they are buying and where they are buying it from in a simple user friendly layout. It also allows users to add items to their own ‘want list’ eliminating the problem of not knowing what gift to buy someone.
Founders Morris and Jefic shared, “For us, our core focus is on building a product that people love and want to use everyday. We were sick of experiencing and hearing all the time, ‘I saw these shoes on Instagram but I have no idea what the brand is or where we can buy it from.’ Rack solves that problem.”
Users include Australian fashion icon and media personality Didier Cohen, with a-list stylists flocking to the platform to share their season favourites. The term “What’s in your Rack?” has already been coined by users.
With this app the ‘bare minimum’ of its functionality, following the startup Minimum Viable Product roadmap, future app iterations in the pipeline will fundamentally change the way consumers shop and share their belongings with the world.
Today, Rack’s investors also include Brandon Ellis from Richmond FC, Tommy Sheridan from Fremantle FC, Jonathan O’Rourke from Hawthorn FC and aspiring young model Cameron Manuel who has recently signed with Scene Model Management.
Holly McKee, User Experience Designer
Caro Horgan, Lead Business Analyst
Jason Couts, Lead Project Manager
Ben Morris, Rack Co-Founder
Danijel Jefic, Rack Co-Founder
Logan Merrick, Director of Buzinga
What is the story behind Rack?
The journey began in early 2015 when Morris and Jefic approached Buzinga with the idea for Rack, and appointed the award-winning agency to support with the technical delivery of the product including design, development, branding, user experience design and product testing.
Jason Couts, Lead Project Manager at Buzinga, said, “Working with the Rack team has been an exciting process as Ben and Danijel look to fundamentally change how we shop. With the MVP just gone live, and the app’s rapid success so far, we’ve been able to draw some incredibly valuable insights into where the app can be optimised, and look forward to continually improving the product as it grows in impact and popularity.”
Ben Morris from Rack, added, “From the start, we’ve had the right team on board with our technical partner and our investors and advisors. Buzinga understood exactly what we were trying to achieve and why. They’ve been a fantastic partner, and with the further support from our AFL investors, we’re thrilled with the success of Rack to date, and are excited about where the product and business are going.”
