In this episode of The Future of Consumer Marketing, host Brett Stapper interviews Daricus Releford, CEO and Co-Founder of StoreCash. StoreCash is disrupting the cashback space by maximizing customer returns through a subscription model that delivers 7-15% savings across 400+ major retailers. Unlike traditional cashback platforms that keep a portion of merchant commissions, StoreCash passes maximum value to customers for a $24 annual fee. The company has reached nearly $1M ARR by targeting budget-conscious consumers, primarily women aged 30-36, many of whom are mothers. Through strategic paid acquisition and market education, Daricus has built a sustainable consumer fintech business while navigating the unique challenges of mobile app monetization.

Topics Discussed:

• Transitioning from B2B big tech roles to consumer app entrepreneurship

• Discovering and pivoting to the right ICP through data-driven insights

• Building a subscription model that maximizes customer value over platform profits

• Navigating Facebook advertising limitations and scaling challenges

• Working with performance marketing agencies vs. in-house teams

• Balancing customer feedback with forward-thinking product decisions

• Market education strategies for disrupting established cashback platforms

Lessons For Consumer Marketers:

Choose Transparency Over Hidden Revenue Models

StoreCash differentiates by giving customers maximum cashback (7-15%) instead of keeping a portion like competitors (Rakuten, Honey). While this requires subscription revenue, it creates a clearer value proposition and builds trust with budget-conscious consumers who understand they’re getting better returns.

Let Data Guide ICP Evolution, Not Initial Assumptions

Daricus initially targeted tech-savvy college graduates but discovered through user data that women aged 30-36, particularly mothers, were the ideal customers. This demographic combines tech-savviness with financial responsibility and purchasing power, proving more valuable than the assumed younger demographic.

Facebook Ads Remain King Despite Platform Limitations

Despite Facebook’s notorious account restrictions and spending limits, Daricus identifies it as their best-performing channel. The key insight: Facebook’s optimization is superior, but the platform’s lack of support and unpredictable spending caps require patience and sometimes agency partnerships to navigate.

Agency Partnerships Can Solve Platform Scrutiny Issues

When Facebook shut down StoreCash’s ad account, working with agencies like Eskimos provided two benefits: professional expertise in platform compliance and reduced scrutiny from ad platforms that are more lenient with established agency accounts than individual advertisers.

Subscription Models Require Extensive Market Education

Moving from free cashback to paid subscriptions created initial customer friction, but those who adopted the model saw significantly higher savings. The lesson: sometimes you need to educate customers about what they need before they realize they need it, similar to Apple removing the headphone jack.

Founder-Led Marketing Often Outperforms Hired Teams in Early Stages

After hiring a head of marketing without seeing significant improvements, Daricus returned to handling marketing himself alongside operations leadership. For early-stage companies, founder intuition and direct customer connection can outweigh specialized marketing expertise.

Mobile App Monetization Is Exponentially Harder Than Physical Products

Daricus notes that building StoreCash was “10x harder” than his previous chocolate-covered strawberry business. Mobile apps face unique challenges: device fragmentation, invisible user experience issues, consumer reluctance to pay for apps, and the complexity of debugging problems you can’t directly observe.

Diversify Paid Channels But Focus on What Works

While Facebook remains their primary channel, StoreCash also uses Google Ads and Apple Search Ads for predictable, scalable growth. TikTok hasn’t worked for their demographic, highlighting the importance of matching platform demographics to your ICP rather than following trends.