In a previous post we talked about the advantages that having a mobile application means for any business. Well, so that those words are not forgotten and are well recorded in your memory, we are going to tell you 4 real cases of companies that grew thanks to investing time and effort in their app. After reading the article, I’m sure you will seriously consider the idea of going to the stores.
1. Chicfy
Does this sound familiar to you? Of course, handsome! This company was born directly on smartphones as an app for buying and selling clothes only for chic chic girls. Its founders are Nono Ruiz and Laura Muñoz, who decided to create the application with an initial investment of only €5,000. This couple from Malaga contacted several fashion bloggers to “post their closet” on the app. Thanks to these collaborations, on the first day of operation they achieved more than 20,000 visits and 50 orders. And all without spending a single euro to advertise.
From day one the application has gone from strength to strength. Just six months after launching in 2013, they raised a private investment of €60,000. In 2015 it already had more than 100,000 users and its turnover that year was 10 million euros. And that was before the famous television commercial.
2. The Fork
El Tenedor took its first steps on the web in 2007 and a few years later it would develop the application for iOS and Android. It started as a free online restaurant reservation service. It was created by Marcos Alves and three other partners of French nationality. Although at the beginning it was not very successful in Spain, in France it already had good results. It was in 2010 when it began to grow in Spain. And today it is one of the most popular applications with more than 8 million downloads.
Its biggest attraction for users is the discounts at luxury restaurants. For hoteliers it is a means of advertising at a fairly affordable price, about €75 per month. El Tenedor has more than 40,000 restaurants on its list, so you can calculate what their monthly profits are. It has managed to operate in 11 countries and more than 7 million opinions on the establishments. Three years ago TripAdvisor bought this company and, although it is not known for exactly how much, at that time the group was valued at 40 million dollars.
3. Wallapop
Hey, what are you going to do with that if you don’t use it? It sounds familiar to you too, right? The story is similar to that of Chicfy. Gerard Olivé, Agustín Gómez and Miguel Vicente decided to modernize the online market for second-hand products. So they thought from the beginning of an application, without going through the web. The financing to start this adventure came from pooling the pockets of its founders, the old-fashioned way. Although giants such as eBay or Segundamano.es already existed, Wallapop was born with the intention of improving the user experience and focusing on a more local character.
And the success was tremendous. It’s been four years since the app started working. The figures are chilling: more than 10 million downloads. Although they have economic data very well kept and the only thing known about them are rumors. Since its inception in 2013, it is estimated that it has raised more than 150 million euros, but no figure is completely credible.
4. Byhours
It is also a reservation application, but for hotels. It is the first company to form an online business model to reserve rooms by the hour. In its 5 years of experience, Byhours has achieved more than 150,000 clients. And it already works with more than 2,500 hotels throughout Spain, France, the United Kingdom and Portugal. Their app has more than 50,000 downloads. It was named the best international tourism app at The App Tourism Awards 2016 and the best app of the year at the eAwards 2014.
Its benefits are also a mystery, but success can be measured with all the data in the previous paragraph. Christian Rodríguez, its founder, jumped into the pool alone and gradually obtained financing. To encourage other young entrepreneurs, he has published a book in which he tells the experience of creating Byhours and advice for beginners in the business world.
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