As the retail market competes with online sales in a bid to recapture customers enticed by convenience and better prices, one man decided to give retail a better fighting chance. Greg Dodd, an accountant by profession, recently released the SalePlate app, the first in his “Retail Fights Back” campaign, to counter the growing online shopping trend.
Designed with simplicity, SalePlate allows retailers, especially small businesses, to upload deals for the day from either a smartphone or computer, which shoppers can instantly access via their smartphones. The app provides a means for retailers to attract customer traffic back to their brick-and mortar-stores and to take advantage of up-sell opportunities—at a price of a cup of coffee, commission-free, and unhindered by typical ad placement constraints like time and number of runs. The deals can go live in under three minutes.
Consumers, on the other hand, can download the app for free. SalePlate allows customers to locate stores that have listed special deals directly from their smartphone. These special deals, listed by category, will display within 5 kilometers. By using the map function, the customer can even access deals from anywhere in the world.
“Consumers want to have the social experience of shopping,” explains Greg in a press release, “whilst utilizing their time to find exactly what they are looking for at the right price.”
So, how was Greg able to provide such an affordable app? Through Freelancer.com, the world’s largest outsourcing site, of course.
“At a previous job I heard about Freelancer® through a colleague who had used the site,” he reveals. “In that job I utilized Freelancer® for two projects satisfactorily, so, of course, Freelancer® was my first thought for SalePlate.”
After a week of thoroughly reviewing the portfolios of the 22 freelancers who placed bids on the project, he chose Hieu from Vietnam. “He seemed open and honest, especially with the price. He didn’t offer a ridiculous low ‘bait’ price and then increase it. His portfolio was impressive and he was more than helpful and quick with suggestions to enhance my app.” Greg was so pleased that he has recommended Hieu to other businesses. “He also provided all the support I needed in the months following completion.”
Since the app’s launch on August 22, they have close to 300 downloads using Facebook, their sole promotions medium, and 20 deals have been uploaded by individual retailers, three of which are interstate. “The feedback has all been positive and the common theme is that it is simple and why hadn’t anybody thought of it before.”
Citing ease, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, Greg recommends Freelancer® to his friends: “Most start-ups have a limited budget and the ease of dealing with a remote contractor using Freelancer® makes it a totally viable option.”
