Walsrode goes for multi-retailer app
Hamburg, April 13, 2022 – One for all, all for one: With the “Walsrode App” for the city of Walsrode, visitors and residents will receive individual offers from local retailers as well as information about events and attractions directly on their smartphones. Location-based and directly at the user’s location, the multi-retailer app bundles information, services and coupons from participating retailers. The implementation of the app was initiated by Gronemedia, the publisher of the Walsroder Zeitung, and the city of Walsrode. On March 31, the “Walsrode App” was launched – and will from now on form a bridge to stationary retail.
The user parks in downtown Walsrode – and is informed that the hairdresser she trusts still has appointments available. The visit to the cinema is already planned – and shortly before entering, the user’s smartphone announces: “Two tickets for the price of one today.” These are just two of countless examples of how analog and digital experience merge in the “Walsrode App.” Based on location data, visitors and residents receive push notifications about offers from participating retailers, as well as information about events, merchants and stores, and eateries located in their vicinity.
For a local shopping experience with added value
Many different stores and eateries, a wide range of goods: that’s what makes city centers attractive for strolling. But the share of e-commerce is growing, making it increasingly difficult to meet customer needs in stationary locations. One answer, also for city marketing, is digital solutions such as the multi-retailer app from locandis. It shows visitors the way to attractions and offers via smartphone and, in addition to delivering coupons, news and invitations to city festivals, for example, can also be used for playful exploration of the city center. The latest information and offers are entered by the editorial team of the Walsroder Zeitung via its own web frontend and sent out at regular intervals via the app. Users also have access to background information, opening hours and price information. “With the “Walsrode App”, we are creating a whole new shopping experience. The app builds a bridge between smartphone and local retail,” says initiator and Gronemedia managing director Clemens Röhrbein with conviction.
Location-based services: Online and offline merged
“The location- or target group-specific information of this new city marketing tool reaches visitors and residents exactly where they are,” says Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian Riekhof. Since 2018, locandis managing directors and founders Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian Riekhof and Stefan Brinkhoff have been active in the fields of real-time location systems, so-called Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS), and location-based services. Their idea: to give visitors access to relevant information based on location and personal preferences. Users of the app could receive messages both via a GPS connection in the city center, via Bluetooth using locandis locators in stores, or directly without the influence of location. Interested parties can download the app for free from the Google Play Store and the App Store. It strictly complies with data protection regulations, while a multi-stage opt-in process during registration in the app protects user data from misuse. But the “Walsrode App” can also be used without providing personal data. “Users then have access to offers and deals that are released for non-registered users. By registering, however, they secure unrestricted access to all exclusive offers,” explains Stefan Brinkhoff.
Strengthening local trade
“Our goal is for the app to develop into a collaborative digital customer card by Walsroders for Walsroders,” says Clemens Röhrbein. For him, the advantages of this solution are clear. “Especially for smaller retailers the app a good opportunity to join a kind of cashback system that is otherwise only interesting for large companies due to high costs, such as Payback.” In addition, the “Walsrode App” is intended to support stationary retail: “We don’t want to be a discount slingshot, but to set a small trigger at the moment of truth that brings about the transaction, the purchase.”
You can find more information about the Walsrode app here.
Further press releases from locandis can be found here.
