Carrot Rewards Explained

Carrot Insights
Company Type:Private
Location:Toronto, Ontario
Founded:2015 (company)
March 2016 (app)
Current Status:Defunct
Area Served:Ontario, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories
Key People:Andreas Souvaliotis (Founder & CEO)
Jeff Irwin (President)
Native Clients:iOS, Android, watchOS

Carrot Rewards was a mobile app for residents of three Canadian provinces and one territory, allowing users to complete health questionnaires and track steps in exchange for rewards points.[1] The app was developed by Toronto-based Carrot Insights, a certified B corporation founded in 2015.[2] The app was first launched in British Columbia during March 2016, followed by Newfoundland and Labrador during June 2016, Ontario during February 2017, and the Northwest Territories only weeks before the app discontinued service in June 2019.[3] Users could choose during sign-up whether they want Aeroplan, Scene, Petro-Points, More Rewards or Drop rewards points.[4] RBC Rewards was also added as an option in June 2018.[5] Survey points were paid for by the organization which created the survey and step points were paid for by the provincial government where the user lives.[6] Carrot Rewards had also partnered with Heart & Stroke, Diabetes Canada and YMCA Canada.[7] The app was later expanded to include questionnaires and surveys on energy conservation and financial literacy.[8] In November 2018, an optional paid tier was added to the Carrot app, allowing users to receive bonus points for completing their goals.[9] Carrot shut down on June 19, 2019, after their "funds eventually ran out and [they] could no longer be in business".[10] However, in December 2019, social media accounts were updated with statuses saying “stay tuned”. In January 2020, Optimity bought Carrot Rewards and relaunched the health app under a new model.[11]

Criticism

Sylvia Jones, a Member of Provincial Parliament in Ontario criticized Carrot Insights for advertising a service to check credit scores in the app which was powered by Equifax Canada, leading to customer personal information being breached in the Equifax data breach.[12] Carrot Insights responded by stating that funds provided by the Ontario government were only used to pay for step tracking rewards points.[13]

Notes and References

  1. News: B.C. launching 'Carrot Rewards' program to encourage to healthy living. Meissner. Dirk. 31 August 2015. The Canadian Press. 25 December 2017. CTV News.
  2. News: Ontario gives $1.5M to app that offers rewards points for healthy behaviour. 6 July 2017. Metro International. 25 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171226073847/http://www.metronews.ca/news/toronto/2017/07/06/ontario-gives-1-5m-to-app-that-offers-rewards-points-for-healthy-behaviour.html. 26 December 2017. dead.
  3. News: New app aims to help Newfoundlanders and Labradorians get healthy. Delane. Anna. 14 June 2016. CBC News. 25 December 2017.
  4. News: Why The Carrot App is Killing It with Loyalty Reward Points. Woods. Jonathan. 1 April 2016. Techvibes.
  5. News: Carrot Rewards adds RBC Rewards points as new reward option. Shankar. Bradly. 14 June 2018. MobileSyrup. 17 June 2018.
  6. News: Carrot Rewards nudge users toward healthy, wealthy habits. Rooke. Charlene. 1 October 2017. The Globe and Mail. 25 December 2017.
  7. News: Federal government's new healthy living app rewards Canadians with points. Miller. Adam. 3 August 2015. CTV News. 25 August 2017.
  8. News: Canadian Bankers Association partners with Carrot Rewards to offer points for completing financial literacy quizzes. Shankar. Bradly. 13 November 2017. MobileSyrup. 25 December 2017.
  9. News: Canadian-made Carrot Rewards app launches premium subscription tiers. Shankar. Bradly. 26 November 2018. MobileSyrup. 27 November 2018.
  10. News: Ottawa-backed Carrot Rewards app shutting down after failing to find a buyer. Marotta. Stefanie. 19 June 2019. The Globe and Mail. 19 June 2019.
  11. News: Sagan . Aleksandra . Optimity buys Carrot Rewards, plans to relaunch health app under new model . Vancouver Courier .
  12. News: Tory MPP wants company to return government funds because of possible link to Equifax. Benzie. Robert. 2 October 2017. Toronto Star. 25 December 2017. Rushowy. Kristin.
  13. News: Marotta . Stefanie . 2019-06-19 . Ottawa-backed Carrot Rewards app shutting down after failing to find a buyer . en-CA . The Globe and Mail . 2023-01-29.