Social Nature
Social Nature operates a free consumer platform that helps health-conscious members discover and try natural products via cash-back offers at major US and Canadian retailers, monetizing through sampling fees paid by 600+ natural product brand partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Social Nature does
Social Nature, legally Ethico Solutions Inc., is a Vancouver-based B Corporation that operates a consumer product sampling and cash-back platform focused on natural and better-for-you CPG products. Founded in 2014, the platform connects health-conscious consumers with over 600 natural product brands across a retail network spanning major US chains including Walmart, Target, Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Kroger, Costco, and H-E-B, as well as operations in Canada. Members create free profiles, discover natural product offers, purchase at participating retailers, submit receipts for cash back (averaging $20 in savings per shopping trip), and write honest reviews that drive further product discovery. The company claims a community of 1.2M+ members and influence on 16M+ people to try natural products.
The underlying technology is a receipt validation and cash-back reward platform with a two-sided product structure: a consumer-facing site and mobile experience, and a separate B2B platform at business.socialnature.com that allows natural brands to manage sampling campaigns and access the member community. Core mechanics involve receipt submission, verification, and reimbursement, combined with a review collection system that aggregates consumer feedback to inform other shoppers and brand partners.
The business model is a transaction-fee model targeting natural product brand customers. Consumers join and use the platform for free; revenue is generated from brand partnership and product sampling fees paid by CPG companies seeking product trials, authentic reviews, and access to a health-conscious audience. Distribution is digital-direct to consumers and via the brand partnership platform to SMB CPG clients, with marketing driven by content (wellness blog), organic social (#trynatural campaigns), and SEO. The company is privately held with no disclosed venture or private equity backing beyond three early-stage funding rounds totaling approximately CAD $2.33M between 2014 and 2019.
Social Nature firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Social Nature
- Legal name
- Ethico Solutions Inc.
- Website
- https://socialnature.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Social Nature operates a free consumer platform that helps health-conscious members discover and try natural products via cash-back offers at major US and Canadian retailers, monetizing through sampling fees paid by 600+ natural product brand partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Social Nature industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consumer Product Sampling Platform
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community/Group Buying Social Commerce (CRAFANAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Social & Digital Insights (Social Listening, Online Community Research) (MPAAALAK), Social Marketplace Aggregators (Multi-seller in Social Feed) (CRAFANAB), Social Audio & Live Community Platforms (BPAMABAH)
Keywords
Where Social Nature is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Social Nature business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
Revenue model
- Brand Partnership/Product Sampling Fees: Social Nature charges natural product brands to showcase their products to the platform's member community. Brands pay for product sampling campaigns where members receive cash back or discounts on products in exchange for trying them and submitting honest reviews. This creates a product discovery and sampling channel for CPG brands.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free membership for consumers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Social Nature product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Social Nature operates a consumer product sampling platform where members purchase natural and better-for-you products at participating retailers, submit receipts, and receive cash back in exchange for writing honest reviews. A separate Brand Partnership Platform (business.socialnature.com) allows natural product brands to pay for sampling campaigns and gain access to over 1.2 million health-conscious community members for product trials and authentic consumer reviews.
Product overview
Social Nature operates a consumer-facing platform combining cash-back rebates and product reviews to help members discover and try natural/better-for-you products. The core offering includes a Cash Back Offers program where members purchase products at participating retailers (Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Kroger, etc.) and submit receipts for reimbursement, a Product Reviews system for honest consumer feedback, and a Retailer Network spanning major national chains and regional grocery stores. A separate Brand Partnership Platform (business.socialnature.com) serves B2B relationships with natural product companies. Members access the platform for free to browse offers, save favorites, submit receipts, and write reviews.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cash Back Offers A cash-back rebate program where members purchase natural products at participating retailers, submit receipts, and receive reimbursement in exchange for sharing product reviews.
- Product Reviews A community-driven review system where members share honest feedback on products they have tried, helping other consumers discover and make informed decisions about natural products.
- Retailer Network A network of participating retailers including Walmart, Target, Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, Costco, Publix, Meijer, H-E-B, and regional grocery chains where members can redeem cash-back offers.
- Social Nature Member Program Free membership platform allowing users to create profiles, browse natural product offers, save favorites to shopping lists, submit receipts for cash back, and write product reviews.
- Brand Partnership Platform A separate B2B platform for natural product brands to showcase products, drive consumer trials, and gain insights through the Social Nature community of over 1 million members.
Companies that use Social Nature
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments1 record
Social Nature technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Social Nature partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- WalmartcoreWalmart is a key retail partner where Social Nature members can purchase natural products and earn cash back. Offers include various natural food and household products available at Walmart stores.
- TargetcoreTarget is a major retail partner for Social Nature's cash-back offers on natural products. Members can find and purchase featured products at Target locations.
- Whole Foods MarketcoreWhole Foods Market is a key partner, aligning with Social Nature's focus on natural and organic products. Offers available for natural products at Whole Foods locations.
- Sprouts Farmers MarketcoreSprouts Farmers Market is a natural-focused grocery chain partner where Social Nature members can access cash-back offers on health-focused products.
- KrogercoreKroger is a major retail partner offering Social Nature cash-back deals on natural products across their store network.
- AlbertsonsmajorAlbertsons grocery chain participates in Social Nature's cash-back program for natural products.
- CostcomajorCostco warehouse stores offer Social Nature cash-back deals on select natural products, typically in bulk sizes.
- PublixmajorPublix supermarkets in the southeastern US participate in Social Nature's product sampling and cash-back program.
- MeijermajorMeijer midwestern grocery chain offers Social Nature cash-back deals on natural products.
- HEBmajorHEB is a key partner in Texas offering Social Nature members access to natural product deals.
- Natural Product Brands (600+)coreSocial Nature partners with 600+ natural brands including Bob's Red Mill, Good Good, Goodles, Vital Farms, Nature's Fynd, Ocean's Halo, and others to showcase their products to the member community in exchange for reviews.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Social Nature competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Ibotta: Largest US cash-back rewards app; broader CPG/grocery scope than Social Nature but directly comparable receipt-based cash-back model targeting the same shopper and CPG-brand budgets.
- Fetch Rewards: Receipt-scanning cash-back and rewards platform serving major CPG brands; competes for the same brand activation budgets and uses a similar receipt-validation mechanic.
- Rakuten (formerly Ebates): Cash-back shopping platform with a major affiliate/brand partnership model; competes broadly for CPG and retail mindshare of value-conscious shoppers.
- Catalina (digital coupons and sampling): Retailer-side digital couponing and personalized sampling platform; competes for the same CPG marketing dollars through a retailer-first data model.
- News America Marketing / Newsbreak Marketing Solutions: Large-scale in-store and digital CPG marketing and sampling platform serving grocery and mass retailers; adjacent competitor for brand sampling budgets.
Direct peers
- Checkout 51: Grocery-focused cash-back app owned by NielsenIQ; uses the same receipt-submission mechanic and serves CPG brands running sampling and promotional campaigns.
- Influenster: Product sampling and review community that distributes free products in exchange for honest reviews; the closest direct competitor to Social Nature's social sampling model.
- BzzAgent: Word-of-mouth and product sampling platform owned by UMM; runs community-driven sampling campaigns for major CPG brands, overlapping directly with Social Nature's B2B offering.
- Smiley360: Influencer/sampling community that sends free products to members for reviews; smaller-scale peer running a near-identical cash-back/sampling exchange for natural and lifestyle brands.
Emerging players
- Sampler.io: Digital product sampling platform giving consumers free samples in exchange for feedback; closely comparable emerging community-sampling model aimed at CPG brands.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Social Nature social profiles
Digital presenceSocial Nature financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Social Nature leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Social Nature funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Social Nature M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Social Nature
What does Social Nature do?
Social Nature operates a consumer product sampling platform where members purchase natural and better-for-you products at participating retailers, submit receipts, and receive cash back in exchange for writing honest reviews. A separate Brand Partnership Platform (business.socialnature.com) allows natural product brands to pay for sampling campaigns and gain access to over 1.2 million health-conscious community members for product trials and authentic consumer reviews.
Is Social Nature a public or private company?
Social Nature is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Social Nature founded?
Social Nature was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Social Nature based?
Social Nature is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Social Nature make money?
One revenue line is on record: brand Partnership/Product Sampling Fees.
Who are Social Nature's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Ibotta, Fetch Rewards, Rakuten (formerly Ebates), Catalina (digital coupons and sampling) and News America Marketing / Newsbreak Marketing Solutions. Direct peers are Checkout 51, Influenster, BzzAgent and Smiley360. Sampler.io is listed as an emerging player.
Does Social Nature have an API?
No public API is recorded for Social Nature.
What industry is Social Nature in?
Social Nature's product category is Consumer Product Sampling Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFANAH, Community/Group Buying Social Commerce, with a secondary code of MPAAALAK, Social & Digital Insights (Social Listening, Online Community Research). Its SIC code is 7311.