Meliuz

Méliuz is a Brazilian technology company that combines online shopping benefits with financial services. Its core consumer proposition is discount coupons and cashback at online retailers: users search for a store on the Méliuz site or app, activate cashback, and complete the purchase on the retailer's own site, receiving part of the amount spent back as money. A browser extension automatically activates cashback and tests available coupons at checkout, and the mobile app additionally awards cashback on receipts (Nota Fiscal) from purchases at physical or online stores, on gift cards and on mobile phone top-ups, plus a "Play and Win" rewards game. The site lists partners including Amazon, Magazine Luiza, Shopee, Casas Bahia, AliExpress, Netshoes, Shein, Carrefour, Uber, Mercado Livre, iFood and Zé Delivery, across categories such as smartphones, travel, pharmacy, fashion, appliances, pet and IT.

Beyond shopping, Méliuz offers a no-annual-fee Platinum Mastercard credit card that returns up to 2% cashback (1% on any purchase and an extra 1% on partner-store purchases initiated through the app), two free account types (a Conta Shopping and a full digital account), Pix transfers and bill payment, fee-free withdrawals, instant cashback redemption from R$20, and "Cofrinho" savings yielding up to 110% of the CDI. The digital account launched in January 2022 and added services including Pix and bitcoin buying and selling. The company describes itself as an ecosystem spanning shopping benefits and financial products, aiming to increase partner retailers' sales while returning value to consumers.

Founding story

Méliuz was founded in 2011 by partners who met in 2009 while studying Economics at UFMG and worked together at Solo Investimentos, an asset manager sold in 2011. Co-founder Ofli Guimarães, dissatisfied with existing loyalty programmes, began building a site in early 2011 that returned to online shoppers part of the money they spent; co-founder and CEO Israel Salmen, who had earlier built a sponsorship-funded website, led marketing, commercial, market intelligence and SEO. Both were Start-Up Chile entrepreneurs.

Business model

Méliuz is free for consumers; partner stores pay to advertise on the Méliuz site and app, and the company shares that revenue with users as cashback. Financial products such as the credit card and digital account are offered without annual fees, extending monetisation into payments and financial services alongside affiliate/advertising economics.

Retailers pay Méliuz for placement and for sales driven through the platform, with part of the value passed to users as cashback; the company also operates a credit card and digital account, and reported roughly $500K in trailing-twelve-month revenue at an early stage per a startup-profile listing.

Traction

The company's site reports more than 50 million people using Méliuz and more than 800 partner stores, while its "how it works" page cites over 26.2 million registered accounts. The Google Play listing shows more than 10 million downloads, a 4.3 rating from about 1.32 million reviews, and a #3 top-grossing position in the Shopping category.

Latest developments

The digital account launched in January 2022 brought Pix and bitcoin buying and selling to the platform, and the app has since added receipt-based cashback offers, gift cards and top-ups, a Cofrinho savings product yielding up to 110% of CDI, and a "Play and Win" game that pays cash rewards, with instant cashback redemption from R$20.