MANCHESTER, NH — There’s a lot to learn when you launch a new business. Cory von Wallenstein, co-founder and CEO of the Adored app, has learned that none of it is written in stone.
In fact, when it comes to perfecting a smartphone app that gathers the best daily deals at 200+ local eateries and businesses around the state, the handwriting is on the chalkboard.
“The biggest thing we learned since launching is that, while people like loyalty rewards, they love great experiences even more,” says von Wallenstein. “And that comes from trusted recommendations. The most authentic compelling information has been written in chalk all along. It’s been staring us in the face for the last year and a half, now.”
Adored 2.0, which officially launched March 20, now brings you a scrolling visual of daily chalkboards that link directly to more than 200 businesses, from all around New Hampshire and beyond, and places that compelling information conveniently in the palm of your hand.
Von Wallenstein says merchants utilize social media to promote their daily specials which they painstakingly write on in-house chalkboards and sidewalk sandwich boards and post on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, where they “drown in a sea of noise.”
Adored now puts them all together in app form, providing a handy tool to help consumers figure out where is the best place to go right now, whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks or coffee.
“We realized this needed to be amplified in a beautiful experience, and it quite frankly fell in our laps,” says von Wallenstein.
The updated version of Adored still provides loyalty rewards, but it delivers the information in a whole new way.
Any local business can upload their daily chalkboard to the mix, but they can also go deeper by partnering with Adored and installing in-house beacon technology, which provides business owners with valuable data, like what is driving customers through the door.
Another thing learned in the past 18 months is that what is more likely to drive a customer through the door is a delicious daily special, rather than a discount.
“What we found to be far more effective is to feature a new limited edition eclair, for example, and if you don’t come and get it today, you miss out. That’s three-times more motivating than a financial incentive, because it’s something the consumer wants more than a discount, and it helps the business owner tremendously,” von Wallenstein says.
Another new feature: You can “Summon an Uber” with one click, when you go to select the “visit establishment” button.
“So many small business owners are struggling to make their dream viable, and every dollar discount takes that away. When they focus on the craft, and on what makes them special and unique, it’s better for a business owner to offer that at full price than to keep doors open with discounts,” von Wallenstein says. “So people who love great local experiences not only get the fresh experience, they’re supporting the idea of ‘local community’ and business owners are focused on what makes them special and unique, not deals and discounts.”
The new app links to profiles of the owners of the establishments, because von Wallenstein and co-founder, Dan Vine, believe that consumers dedicated to buying locally are doing so because they want more than a good sandwich.
“You are buying into your neighbor’s dream,” von Wallenstein says.
Click to download the updated version of Adored for iOS & Android here.
You can follow @Adored on Twitter and Facebook.
To read more about the evolution of Adored, click here.
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