£50,000 app investment brings five new jobs

OhhSocial, the brainchild of husband and wife team Kelly and Michael McClements, aims to assist in the growth of the hospitality and leisure industry in Northern Ireland which has suffered in recent years as people have less disposable income.

The five strong team believes that by engaging with digitally active consumers who are open to discovering new brands online they can increase demand and drive future growth in the sector.

With that in mind the app was developed as an ideal platform for businesses in Northern Ireland to engage with this audience, whilst driving footfall into their business.

The innovative tech start-up has already attracted and partnered with over 50 local businesses all hoping to reach and attract this audience with a range of high end, exclusive offers.

Through its user-friendly interface the OhhSocial smartphone app, available on both Android and iOS, features over 150 exclusive buy-one-get-one-free offers from local businesses in four key sectors. For a one off payment of £19 consumers can choose from a range of offers from categories such as Wine & Dine, Health & Beauty, Leisure & Attractions and Kids Activities, all of which can be used anytime between August and December 2016.

“Our idea is simple, and was inspired by our travels in America, Australia and the Middle East, where we’ve seen similar ideas successfully operating,” said Kelly.

“We love and enjoy Northern Ireland’s thriving hospitality and leisure industry, but understand that it is a very competitive market. With the sector dependent on consumer confidence and business segment, it is facing increasing pressure to deliver innovation, quality and value. To achieve these aims all of our partners have been hand-picked to showcase the best Northern Ireland has to offer”

The Carnlough couple aim to have 3,000 active users by the end of 2016 with steady growth month on month.

The app is also adding on average four new business partners each week and looks to further expansion to the UK and Ireland in 2017.

“Businesses will be able to benefit from reaching a new audience who are keen to try new things,” said Michael.

“By attracting new customers through a digital platform with great offers, businesses will be able to build on their new audience and upsell other products and services. All of our users will have the opportunity to visit the partner three times per calendar year, encouraging repeat custom and brand loyalty for each business.