Gear2Go Built the Airbnb for Everyday Gear with MobiLoud

Gear2Go needed a better way to reach their customer base, who were mostly Gen Z or millennials, and primarily mobile app users. They needed an app, but lacked the resources or budget to build an app from scratch.

CEO Gavin McGarry's search for a solution brought them to MobiLoud, which was a perfect match. Now they have an app with a near-perfect rating on the Apple App Store, and a direct line to their ideal target demographic.

Why Mobile Apps?

Gavin and the team at Gear2Go came up with a great concept in their peer-to-peer gear lending marketplace - "Airbnb for everything in your garage."

The only problem was that their target customers' primary form of engagement is via mobile - apps specifically.

As long they were browser-only, they'd always be a step behind the curve.

"These customers are far more app-based in terms of their engagement with websites and brands. We wanted to get into the App Store, so that we could have that direct connection with our primary demographic, who are far more comfortable using their phones."

It was clear that, if they wanted to grow, getting on the App Store had to be a priority.

Finding the Right Solution to Build Their App

The team looked into several options.

The first was to go in-house, and use their own developers to build an app from scratch.

For a team their size, it quickly became clear this wouldn't work.

"If we take into account that our developers are working part-time, this would have taken months to do, if not a year. So from a time standpoint, it didn't make sense."

The next choice was to outsource the app development. Though they found no shortage of options who would be happy to take the project, the cost was never something they were going to be able to afford.

"We talked with a couple of third-party app builders, who specialize in building apps from the bottom up - both US-based developers and offshore. In both cases, the price points were incredibly high."

Luckily, Gear2Go's lead developer, Matt Blagg, had heard of another option - MobiLoud. He presented this option to Gavin.

"That's when Matt told me about MobiLoud. Based on the service the company offers and the price point, it made total sense for us."

The MobiLoud Difference

MobiLoud immediately stood out from all the other options. For a company at the stage Gear2Go are at, they needed someone that broke down the barrier of entry to launching an app, without being accompanied by a huge cost.

Just as important, though, was to find someone that would give them a personal touch, and guide them through the whole process. That's what, Gavin says, set MobiLoud apart.

"The biggest thing was having a project manager. Having that consistent point of contact throughout the whole project has been a huge advantage."

MobiLoud was there every step of the way for Gavin and the team, giving them peace of mind, and the confidence that the end product would live up to their expectations.

"When we were going through the process, I was able to directly reach out to the team and ask specific questions, and get updates on where the project was. If there were any problems, we had a good back and forth that put our mind at ease."

What's more, we didn't just hand off the project and say goodbye once it hit the app stores. We helped Gavin and his team with ongoing maintenance and fine-tuning of the app, ready to provide anything they needed to make sure their app experience was as good as it gets.

"It's been helpful to have MobiLoud there when we troubleshoot issues. When, we didn't have an answer within our team, you've always been there within 24 hours. If it's something on our side that needed to be fixed, you'd send us the code, and our development team would get it fixed pretty quickly."

Sacrificing Quality?

Gavin though that a solution like MobiLoud might require some sacrifice in terms of quality and functionality, compared to if they were to build from scratch.

"Truthfully, I expected the app to be somewhat functional, but I thought it wouldn't be as high quality as some of the apps I've seen that have been built from scratch. But I was incredibly surprised. I saw no difference in terms of quality or functionality in our app and an app built from the ground up, that could have cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Gavin is not the first to be surprised at how great an app looks and feels with MobiLoud, despite taking a fraction of the time and money most apps take to build.

The Results

Once the app was live, Gavin launched to two college campuses, testing the app's pull with their target demographic.

Within the first 3 weeks, the app got 400 downloads, along with some positive organic growth.

All signs show that their customers love the app. In the space of a few months, the app acquired 24 reviews on the iOS App Store, all but one giving the app 5 stars.

Gavin couldn't be more happy with their results. His business now has a functional, professional mobile app, and they didn't need to break the bank and invest months of development resources to build it.

"For those that are on the fence, I'd just tell them that from a price standpoint, you won't find a more novel solution that comes with a service that is responsive and communicative.

The service is the difference!

There might be some other vendors that can wrap up your app but you need to anticipate that there will be problems later on, especially if you are doing development on the website."

If you want to experience the same boom for your business, get in touch with our team to arrange a demo, and learn what MobiLoud can do for you.