Folloyu Introduces Continuous Browsing Across Devices

It happens all the time: you start working or watching something on you computer and before you can finish you have to go, to a meeting, or to an appointment. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could take your PC with you? Or alternatively – finish what you started on a different device on-the-go?

The Israel-based company Folloyu, launched earlier this year, tries to create a seamless transition between different devices and enable users to continue what they were doing without having to re-start everything.

Related Stories:

• Yotpo: Personalized Search Engine For Online Reviews
• Carry Your Computer In Your Wallet

Founder and CEO of Folloyu, Alfred Shaffir, tells NoCamels how the idea of Follyou was conceived. “I was winning a chess game online and had to forfeit in the end since I had to leave my PC to go pick up my kids on time. As I was driving, I thought, why can’t I take the game with me?”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaqJqCVjXaA[/youtube]

Saving the users’ exact location on site

To move between devices, users click the tab marked “switch device” which prompts a standard QR code to appear. As users scan the QR code, Folloyu says it remembers the user’s exact location and progress and allows for uninterrupted shopping, playing, or viewing of web content.

The company, based in Even Yehuda, believes this mobility will lead to increased satisfaction and “adhesion” for websites. According to Shaffir, “This is the next evolution of the user’s online experience. With our service we can generate cross-device stickiness for websites; the customer can start something and effortlessly, switch to another device.”

The ability to save a website’s URL and email it for later has always been available. Companies like Instapaper, Read It Later, and Pocket do provide the customer the service of emailing a website for later use. The use of a QR code which the customer can scan is what distinguishes Folloyu. With a simple function, the user can transfer complicated online games, shopping and movies to any mobile device.

Shopping-cart abandonment

Folloyu tries to solve the e-commerce problem of “shopping-cart abandonment” which happens when an online user gets interrupted and disengages from the website. Usually, the user will not return to their past web activity and the website loses a customer. Folloyu is currently concentrating their efforts on E-commerce and publishing sites, but the technology can be added to almost any website.

The company has a business to business (B2B) sales model, to address the online content abandonment problem. “The competition will continue concentrating on the end user, while we focus on producing a broad, generic, and simple to use technology that can be implemented for B2B solutions,” explains Shaffir. He adds that the company plans on targeting the 70 percent of customers who abandon their daily web activity.

To date, the company is searching for investors to boost marketing and sales. The funding so far has come exclusively from Shaffir, with no outside angel investments.

Currently, the free of charge service supports either JavaScript or API for web developers to integrate the QR code onto their websites. Users also have the option to install a Firefox add-on or Chrome extension. Folloyu is also working on a simple switch button, based loosely on Facebook’s share or like buttons. This is part of their future revenue stream, based on a small fee they will charge from websites for every transfer a customer makes.

“Websites want people to stay online and buy more. Folloyu enables this cross-device stickiness,” Shaffir concludes.