“You're referring users to us — we can refer users back to you, and our scale is large enough that it could actually be a meaningful number. It's a B2B strategy where I'm thinking of the strategic value I can provide to my partners in return for them providing value to us.”

Trade your app's audience back to your retail partners

The reason small retailers say yes isn't generosity — it's a two-way trade. As Greg's user base grows, they can route customers back to partner nurseries, giving small businesses something they desperately want: an audience. Mobile apps accumulate audiences over time; that audience is the currency you spend on offline partnerships.