Sweet fix for chocolate lovers
Filmmaker finds new focus in mobile app business
T
ake your iPhone into the Chocolate by Wickerhead store in the Toronto Beaches area and you just might get a free sample. That is, if you happen to have an app called Choco-locate on it.
Owner Sharon Shoot says getting a listing on the new location-based app has been a big boost for business. “It’s a great way to market yourself and get people coming in,” she says. For those without the app, she’s happy to hand out a card giving them download instructions so they can enjoy a freebie on their next visit.
While some retailers may balk at sharing the glory with their peers, Ms. Shoot holds the opposite view. “It connects people with a passion for chocolate and opens up a nice little window for conversations. I think it’s great to give them the opportunity to check out all the shops. That’s what I like to do on my day off.”
The inspiration behind Choco-locate, Lalita Krishna, is the last person you would expect to get into mobile application development. The filmmaker created the program (with the help of designers and developers) as a sideline to a documentary project on chocolate production.
During project development, she says focus groups showed chocolate lovers were interested in one simple thing: “At the end of the day, they just wanted to find chocolate from ethical sources.”
So she set about creating something people and retailers would find useful. “I didn’t want to just put information on a site. I wanted a multi-layered application that could work on all platforms.”
The jump from film production to application development wasn’t much of a stretch. “I approached it exactly the way I would a film: hire the right contractors and play the role of project lead and director.”
“When it came to talking designing, it wasn’t just about the spit and polish. It’s understanding what is the purpose and connecting and engaging with the end user,” says Lee Dale, founder and director of design strategy for Say Yeah! in Toronto, who worked the project.
He says it was especially critical the content be useful and relevant. The Choco-locate app, for example, offers a wide range of location and event information, articles and feature reports. “It’s about getting insight into the chocolate world and making the experience enjoyable,” Mr. Dale says.
He notes that content on the web is different than mobile so it isn’t enough to use a web-based browser. “In looking at the context of how the medium is being used, it made much more sense to develop and build a native phone app that delivers a complete experience.”
While listings are free, retailers who want a feature story on the site must agree to offer a free sample for anyone who comes into the store and shows their Choco-locate app. “Chocolatiers love it, because people are coming in and buying more,” Ms. Krishna says.
The app is also being used by companies that work with chocolatiers, by promoting special events, such as wine and chocolate tasting sessions. One winery’s tasting event ended up having to turn people away at the door.
Partnering with event planners is one way the app generates revenue.
The growing interest in her Choco- locate venture has convinced Ms. Krishna to expand her business pursuits — and her income potential.
City tourism and culinary groups have been asking about getting on board with the application to promote local chocolate and other food-related events. The app can be reskinned for sale to these other organizations.
It’s simply a matter of building on what they have, Ms. Krishna says. “We already have the back end. We just need to research the front.”
Right now the app is used in the greater Toronto area, Niagara, Burlington, Hamilton, Ottawa, Vancouver and Seattle. (U. S. listings are charged a fee — providing an additional source of revenue.) “We’ve also been approached by New York, San Francisco and L.A.,” she adds.
Ms. Krishna says she loves her new business venture. “I learn something new every day and enjoy the whole process. There’s no end to what we can create for different markets.”