A groundbreaking UAE-based start-up, FluencePay, is revolutionizing the intersection of social media and commerce by rewarding users for sharing their shopping experiences online. Co-founders Vaibhav Agarwal and Ayushee Tyagi unveiled their innovative platform during an investor pitching session organized by Khaleej Times Events on November 19, 2025. The platform leverages artificial intelligence to incentivize users to post about their purchases on social media, transforming everyday shoppers into influential advocates for brands. FluencePay’s model is built on the premise that peer recommendations are more trusted and cost-effective than traditional marketing channels. A recent survey highlighted that 88% of consumers rely on trusted peer recommendations, with friends delivering eight times higher engagement than mega influencers. The platform operates seamlessly: users create a profile, link their social media accounts, and receive a “Fluent Score,” an AI-generated rating that measures their authentic influence based on factors like following, engagement, and posting behavior. This score determines the cashback rewards users earn for sharing their shopping experiences. These rewards can be redeemed as gift vouchers at over 2,000 outlets across the UAE. Tyagi described the platform as “productized word of mouth, measurable, scalable, and instantly working.” FluencePay has already partnered with national banks, Y Cube’s network of 45,000 GCC merchants, and universities like SP Jain and IIMA to attract early adopters. The start-up aims to onboard 60,000 users and 400 merchants within the next 12 months, with plans for global expansion into the GCC, UK, and US markets. Agarwal and Tyagi, who bring extensive experience from PayPal, digital marketing, and other start-ups, have secured advisory support from industry veterans at PepsiCo and the Landmark Group. FluencePay is currently raising $5 million to achieve its ambitious goal of reaching one million users and generating $70 million in revenue over the next three years.
Shop, post, earn: UAE start-up turns social media posts into rewards for shoppers
