Be local is an award-winning app and website that I designed to help independent hospitality businesses and to give something back to my local community.
THE CHALLENGE
During the pandemic my wife and I, like many others, saw our local area in a new light. We discovered local businesses and great walks that we simply didn't have the time to stumble upon pre-pandemic. We wanted to create a website and app to help promote the amazing independent businesses and support them through challenging times. From coming up with the idea on a long lockdown-walk we worked with a friend who is a talented developer and our website was born a week later.
HOW WE DID IT
We started with a simple website showcasing over 100 businesses as a directory. Members of the public visited our website to find out who was open and where the best outdoor seating areas were. After a few months we then created an app with a content management system enabling us to expand rapidly. The website visits, app downloads and the positive impact we were having on the independents and our local community led us to monetise the platform in order to keep it going. We were passionate to not charge businesses to be part of the platform so we created a discount model where members of the public can access a discount wallet and get discounts at all the independents featured for £1.99 monthly subscription.
We created various ways to engage with our customers and followers from pub walks, blogs and regularly showcasing the businesses we work with. We used our social platforms to engage with our customers and gather customer research.
THE OUTCOME
We created a multi-award winning platform which has been featured on BBC News and The Telegraph. We now support over 160 businesses, have created over 300 miles of pub walks which over 100,000 people have enjoyed. The app has had 25,000 downloads and our social media channels have over 20,000 followers. The content management system behind it has allowed us to expand the platform in other areas creating a Franchisable model.