How we built the iMember mobile apps

Sel explains it all in this month's edition of Appliness. Read more here: http://www.empress-media.net/appliness/ApplinessSeptember2013.pdf

Winning customer loyalty through membership

Companies and organisations like to put labels on us.  For many we are simply customers.  Sometimes they may be more specific, such as viewers or students.  For others we may be members.

But as members, how involved are we with the organisation we deal with?  In theory the difference between customers and members is that members actually get a say in how an organisation is run.   We may not exercise that right, but whether we belong to a club, our local church, or a rock band, as a member we should have the right to influence how things are run (with the possible exception of the Mile High Club).

When we do belong to something, how active we are as members will differ enormously. Some of us will faithfully attend every AGM, scrutinise the accounts, elect the officers, sit on committees and generally contribute.  Some of us will simply enjoy the benefits.    

Sometimes, membership is just a label. Members of The AA have not had a say in how the association is run since it was de-mutualised in 1999.  Similarly those getting their breakdown cover from The RAC, may think of themselves as members, but they haven’t been since 1978. 

Loyalty from customers was lost when companies stopped being loyal to us.  One answer to this has been that companies are increasingly trying to rediscover some of the values of membership, albeit without any of the actual rights or responsibilities.  

So-called customer loyalty schemes are now moving beyond collecting stamps on cards every time you buy something, to more sophisticated schemes that look to attract us at an emotional level.  Giving consumers a sense of community, something that reflects their identity (giving rewards based on who you are, rather than what you buy), as well as a feeling of exclusiveness. We can expect to see more companies inviting their customers to be members of something, and that is to be welcomed.

http://www.imember.co.uk 

The difference between being a subscriber and being a member of an organisation

The Times (of London) runs a very broad scheme offering a range of benefits and rewards to its readers who subscribe, Times+.  Interestingly I received a survey from them this morning asking a number of questions, including "the difference between being a subscriber and being a member of an organisation".  They then go on to ask the more direct "To what extent do you consider yourself a member of Times+?".  This presages the launch of an "Introduce-a-Friend" scheme, but raises an interesting challenge for any organisation offering benefits and rewards.

There is a plethora of rewards, benefits, discounts, and vouchers to be had. You can't open your inbox without being offered 10% discounts on something. A myriad of websites exist to exchange information on available discount codes. How to stand out in this, less than appealing, crowd?  The answer is membership. Significantly, The Times' website is call www.mytimesplus.co.uk/.

We don't want to collect vouchers and coupons but we all want to save money. There is a special satisfaction in knowing we have really saved money. If everyone can do it, then it's just a price cut. We don't feel that we have saved anything. We want to feel exclusive, special.

Around three-quarters of British adults are members of at least one organisation or subscribe to a service.[Source: ComRes]. So what is the difference?  I think of my subscriptions as regular payments in exchange for a particular service. So this includes my Sky TV, my mobile phone, my gym, my insurance policies, my banking, and my newspaper. The iMember website confirms that nearly all of these offer some fringe benefits above and beyond the service I am paying for.  So what does membership offer that a subscription doesn't?  Do The AA's members feel any different from Green Flag's customers?

The membership we have of clubs, societies, unions, and professional bodies is different because, in addition to the services they provide, membership offers less tangible benefits: a sense of shared interest, a common purpose with a community of like-minded people, and more than anything, a feeling of belonging and recognition. We carry our membership cards with pride. This comes back to feeling special. It's being part of a club that not everyone else is in. I can enjoy the fringe benefits that membership brings because of who I am, rather than simply because I can afford to subscribe to something.  Membership is part of my identity,it reflects my interests, my concerns, my passions, whereas subscription is just shopping.

Going to University? Which ones offer the best benefits?

If you're applying to get into university it may seem as if you have to do everything you can to impress them. But they are keen to impress you too. So keen in fact, that many British universities offer a host of benefits simply by being a student there.   These can range from discounts on books (clearly useful), to cheap wine (clearly essential).  Here's a list of the top twenty universities in the UK offering the most benefits.  

 

Southampton University

Gloucestershire University

University of Oxford

University of Wolverhampton

Hertfordshire University

Heriot-Watt University

Robert Gordon University

University of East Anglia

Anglia Ruskin University

Lincoln University

University College London

University of The Arts London

University of Cambridge

Central Lancashire University

Aberdeen University

East London University

Bath University

Kingston University

Sheffield Hallam University

Coventry University

iMember helps to light up lives of children with life-threatening illnesses

At iMember we understand that the state of the economy means that every penny matters to the UK consumer. With a greater number of people in need and fewer donations coming in, charities also struggle to make ends meet as a result. That is why, in addition to saving the average UK consumer over £100 a year, iMember.co.uk has pledged to donate money that would usually be spent on promotional activities to children’s charity, Lifelites.

Not content with simply saving UK consumers over £100 each a year through offers they are usually unaware of or forget about, iMember is now giving away 5p per new sign up – with a minimum donation set at £250 - to provide education and entertainment technologies to children with short life expectancies.

iMember (http://imember.co.uk/) is a revolutionary new website and app that alerts and reminds UK consumers about money off deals to which they are entitled as members of clubs and organisations – all completely free of charge. To sign up and trigger a donation to Lifelites simply follow this link: http://imember.co.uk?promo=lifelites .

“Helping charities is a natural progression for iMember” said Richard Brown, Founder of the organisation. “As a company, we offer help to people; saving them money and helping them get the most out of their memberships and I am very proud that we are branching out to supporting the incredible work carried out by Lifelites.”

 

In order to start saving money and make the most of your memberships, visit iMember.co.uk via http://imember.co.uk?promo=lifelites and 5p will go towards giving children with limited life unlimited possibilities.

Developing and designing the iMember app

Our new app was designed  and  developed  by  SMACK. Launched in 2012, they have been shortlisted as one of the top new digital agencies by Net  Magazine and  flagged  as one  of  the  top  10  creative  agencies to  watch  in  2013  by Creative Bloq. The  iMember  app,  now  available  to  download from App Store and Google Play, gives users access to thousands  of rewards and membership benefits whilst on the go.

SMACK developed the hybrid HTML5 mobile app using open source scalable technology  capable of future proofing the inherent big data requirements.

Sel-Vin  Kuik,  SMACK’s  technical  director  describes the development:

“For  us  the  challenge  was to  deliver  content that could be searched by natural language and geography to provide the user with  instant, relevant results.  We have allowed for complex connections between the thousands  of benefits available on the database through implementing a fine-tuned search indexer.” Kuik  adds:  “The  choice  to  use  hybrid  technology  was  an  easy  one. The  client  wanted  a  multi-platform  solution,  while  keeping  costs  down. We’ve  built  the  iMember  app  using  Adobe  PhoneGap.  Hybrid  solutions  no  longer  forfeit  processing  speeds  the  support  for  HTML5 is improving with every generation of smartphone, and the speed and capability of  the current mobile browsers mean we can really push hybrid apps to match the standard  expected from native”. Available  benefits on  the  mobile  app can  be  searched  by  product  type,  location  or  organisation with users  sent  instant  access  to  deals  and  step-by-step  advice  on  how  to  claim them.

Heading up the design team, Lubna Keawpanna, SMACK’s creative director said:

“In a crowded space,any new app has to stand out, yet at the same time illuminate the user to  the app function. The user experience on the app is more personalized on the mobile app,  as  it  identifies  your  location  and  immediately  shows  you benefits in  your  vicinity. We  continued  with  the urban minimalist  feel,  breaking  away  from  the  cluttered  approach  of  most  money-saving  sites. We  highlighted the  features a  user needs  whilst on  the  go  to  enhance the mobile user experience

We think Smack have done a fantastic job, and hope you do too.   You can download the app for Android and iPhone/iPad by clicking on the buttons below.

New iMember App shows you where it pays to belong

We have made it easier than ever for our users to claim their ‘forgotten’ fringe benefits by launching a brand new iPhone and Android App – available to download completely free of charge.

It’s money for nothing, you just have to remember you’re a member.  But with so many UK consumers needing a little reminder every now and then – and that’s where the new iMember App comes in.

I've been testing the app for a few weeks.  I belong to a number of organisations, like The AA, and my gym, I subscribe to the Times, and get my insurance from MoreThan but I was always forgetting the fringe benefits they offered.  This app helps me remember I’m a member when I am out and about.   It was a natural progression for iMember to combine the benefits of membership with the growing capabilities of smartphones. Using GPS technology, it shows the user all current discounts and promotions in their location with an interactive map – whether you are at home,  on holiday, on the local high street or on the train to work.

The app can give an electronic ‘nudge’ or push notification when you are close to a benefit.  Reminders are given at a distance of between 0.5 – 10 miles from the smartphone’s location, and  this can easily be adjusted in ‘settings’ so nudges are more or less frequent depending on your preference.

Taking the ease of use and flexibility of the website, and adding improved accessibility via a handheld smartphone, it can be adapted to meet every user’s specific needs.  Whether searching for available benefits by product type, location or organisation, users get instant access to deals and step-by-step advice on how to claim them – it’s that simple.  Looking for somewhere to eat? The iMember app will tell you which restaurants near you offer discounts because of who you are.  Want to go to an attraction?  iMember makes sure you don’t miss out on what you are entitled to.

The feedback we're getting from early users has been very positive: "The service is great and I've used it to get free national trust passes as didn't realise my bank offered these." says Chris. "when I was out today it told me about an English Heritage benefit!"  says Lucy.

To get the app just click on the button below:

You can use the app to update the organisations you subscribe to, or use the website.