Travel deals site Icelolly.com has gone to market with its first mobile app developed by Staffordshire-based mobile specialist developer Really Useful Apps.
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Icelolly.com gets serious on mobile with new deals app
Travel deals site Icelolly.com has gone to market with its first mobile app developed by Staffordshire-based mobile specialist developer Really Useful Apps.
The Bradford firm has developed the app for both the iOS and Android operating platforms and it is available to download free from the Google Play story and App Store.
The app enables Icelolly.com users to easily compare prices and also to share their discoveries with family or friends on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter or by email and text.
The native app also promotes Icelolly.com’s weekly ‘Top 20 Hot Deals’ service and provides mobile users with simple click to call functionality.
Deals are searchable by holiday type as well as other search criteria thanks to an API link built to power the service.
Tim Harding, managing director of Really Useful Apps, told Travolution that early signs had been encouraging since the app was soft launched.
“It has been very successful in terms of channel switch. This solves the problem of making sure people can touch the brand wherever they are and search for deals.
“Icelolly has a fantastic brand and they really wanted to target the mobile space because people who are looking for deals are looking for them all the time.
“They wanted to support users in the mobile space a bit better.”
Harding said the app took around six months to develop, four of which was the technical development and one month for final testing and approval.
He said Icelolly.com was already starting to see a return on investment, the app dovetailing with its core business of driving calls to its advertisers.
Suniel Makh, marketing director at Icelolly.com said: “We’re launching this app to make it even easier and quicker for people to find their perfect getaway at the right price.”
Harding said the travel sector needed to make a judgment on mobile, a sector his company has started to focus on due to the increasing influence of the channel.
“At the very least companies should be having a look at it and, if needs be, making a conscious decision not to get into mobile rather than just ignoring it,” he said.
“Brochure sites do not necessarily need an app, it’s more appropriate where you are pulling a lot of data and content down.
“These days most people will have a mobile device with them on holiday, so it’s brilliant for content generation.”
“The travel industry has been one of the main beneficiaries of the move online in terms of spend, but mobile is still one area where a lot of sectors are behind.
“A lot of the big players have moved into it but it could probably do with some demystifying for some people.”
