I travel. A lot. And when I find tricks, tools and apps that make it easier for me, I’m all for them. I’m also immersed in the world of mobile marketing, so looking at what others are doing in the space is always at the top of my list.
And when I’m stuck in an airport with nothing to do, which is often, well, I head straight to the Interwebs to see what new bright, shiny things I can find to play with. Or write about. Or buy.
An interesting new find is app called Weeels. Their description in the app store is simple:
Weeels is a fast, easy, cheap and efficient way for New Yorkers to call cabs and share rides with other passengers.
But it’s not just about ride sharing (and I think the folks at Weeels need to emphasize that more in their description in the app store and in their marketing efforts).
Weeels is also a socially-responsible initiative, aiming to cut down on carbon emissions, congestion and waste. Their tagline is “Engineering vehicle efficiency via systems design.” I work with engineers – I like it already. And watching this video made me like them even more, because they made me laugh:
Weeels Infomercial from Weeels on Vimeo.
When you think about it, a city filled with cabs occupied by one person, many of whom are headed to the same destinations from the same places is not exactly the most efficient system. As a green gal, I’m drawn to concepts like this. As a social gal, I’m likewise drawn to Weeels.
Weeels is DIY mass transit. Push a button and get an affordable and convenient ride anywhere in the city. Easy to understand. Easy to do. Easy to benefit from. And the eco-friendly part of this concept mitigates the inconvenience of sharing a ride with someone else.
Weeels is only in New York City right now, but I hope that either they expand to other markets, or that others develop similar apps. To my way of thinking, there’s not much of a downside to reduced wait times, travel costs, carbon emissions, gas costs and congestion. And, from a business model standpoint, it’s really smart that their target audience is not only end-users, but also transportation providers, campuses, municipalities, businesses and the like.
Considering that mobile apps are developed at an astonishing rate but that a whopping 26% of them are downloaded and used only once, apps like this that actually give you a reason to use them on a weekly, or even daily, basis make a lot of sense. Now, of course, they need to market the heck out of the app. Another little step that so many developers overlook.
What about you? Have you heard of Weeels? Does it sound like something you’d use? Would my NYC-dwelling friends consider using this app? I’d love to hear what you think.
What say you? Do you see apps like this in your future? They sure seem to make sense to me.
Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years’ experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging develoment, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly’s coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”
