2021 has continued to challenge us with restrictions and uncertainty however, LoyalFree, the award winning place promotion app, has been delighted to continue to adapt and expand into 67 towns and cities across the UK, build our team to 7 and continue to help over 8,000 businesses promote themselves and build their digital presence in these challenging times. We have also expanded our e-commerce marketplace, started working in Wales and launched Augmented Reality Trails!
By using our app we have now achieved the following:
- Promoted 8,198 high street businesses in the UK
- Launched 572 interactive trails around the UK with over 230,000 interactions this year
- Had 176,526 digital loyalty stamps collected through the app
- Helped 85,201 app users explore their local high street
In March we added a new click to check in feature within our trails technology so app users could record their visit at locations without the need for a QR code. This is another way we are offering local areas the ability to make their trails interactive and engaging. This year we have continued to add new features to the app and in November delivered additional key new features including setting a start and/or end location on each trail and adding a new interactive element; question & answer functionality, allowing you to ask app users questions and then reveal the answer when they check in – great fun for family friendly trails!
Due to the continued challenges faced by Covid – 19 and the lockdowns, we made the decision to extend our support for the NSPCC through our Give as you Save charity initiative until October 2021. Until March 2022 the initiative will now be supporting the crucial work Mind does for Mental Health support. So far our Give as you Save campaign has led to donations of over £1,800 and we continue to promote this social cause as a further way to encourage people to switch to digital stamps!
Sophie Hainsworth, CEO and Co-Founder of LoyalFree said: ‘‘We love finding new ways our technology can support the high street and charitable causes simultaneously. Mind are a charity who personally helped me through my own struggles and supporting their amazing work is more important than ever.’’
The LoyalFree app brings digital experiences alive in towns and cities across the UK. There have been lots of amazing interactive trails this year but some highlights include the Jurassic Lanark Trail, launched back in June, and had an amazing 13,741 views and over 9,000 check ins! Read more about it here: https://www.loyalfree.co.uk/2021/06/25/lanark-welcomes-prehistoric-dinosaurs-to-town-with-brand-new-digital-trail/.
The LoyalFree app also had a fantastic Lego takeover in Harrogate in August where local landmarks were replicated in Lego bricks and displayed throughout the town. This led to an incredible 5,584 scans in just the three weeks. Read more about this and other successful trails here: https://www.loyalfree.co.uk/harrogate-lego-trail-case-study/
Back in August, we were delighted to launch our first partnership in Wales! Merthyr Tydfil became the 38th area to join the app to support local businesses and increase footfall and sales on the highstreet. We are looking forward to welcoming more welsh towns and cities in 2022, including Newport who are due to launch early next year.
In October, Ulverston became the first of our partnerships to launch an augmented reality (AR) trail on the app. Augmented reality overlays digital content and information onto the physical world — as if they’re actually there with you, in your own space. Their history trail lets app users explore the town and watch familiar buildings get transformed into past wonders in front of their eyes.You can read more about this AR trail here.
We have been thrilled to have extended our team to 7 this year and in October we announced our 6th team member, Jem Ardolino, who joined us as a Marketing and Admin Assistant. In December Sam Sitayeb joined as a Full stack developer, providing crucial technical support for LoyalFree! They have both have been invaluable assets for championing local businesses! We have recently added a ‘Meet the Team’ page to our website to help you get to know the LoyalFree team a little better.
We are also thankful for our new awards this year including LeicestershireLive Innovation in Business and Entrepreneur of the Year awards, GBEA Workplace Wellbeing Champion and ‘Best Interactive High Street Application’ in the Corporate Vision Best Interactive High Street App.
Looking to 2022, we are excited at the prospect of launching in more towns and cities across the UK. Make sure you keep an eye out for more launches near you! We are also delighted to be searching for our 8th team member and to continue to grow the LoyalFree team over the next 12 months.
View all the offers, events and trails near you and start saving by downloading the app for free here: https://bit.ly/2YZGHuI or download the app for Android or iOS by searching ‘LoyalFree’ on the app stores.
If you are a BID and would like to know more about how an app could support your area then please email [email protected] to request more information.