Embargo – Loyalty & Rewards - Interview with the developer of a fantastic app

Did you have any prior development or coding experience?

No, I never coded before in my life. As such, it was key to find the right developer who shares the vision and not only understands the coding part but also the business application.

Our CTO Reza has perfectly married these two aspects of Embargo together to help us create a technically sound app that can be easily applied to any functioning hospitality business’ strategy.

What was the most challenging aspect of developing mobile app?

It was finding the right balance between users and our venues/merchants who are also our customers. It needs to provide exactly what both sides desperately need in an intuitive and easy way. We have achieved this by making user and venue feedback the foundation of Embargo.

_{Embargo Ltd.}

The interviewee, Mr. Tsewang Wangkang is the co-founder of Embargo Ltd. Embargo enables you to launch your digital loyalty card, get to know your customers, and stay in touch with them to drive more business.
All this with a quick and easy 5-minute setup.

Name a few of your favorite apps and reason you love them.

Spotify – Very intuitive user experience and perfect for daily use. The most challenging part for an app is to simplify a solution to the minimum without sacrificing functionality and usability. Spotify manages this close to perfection.
WithU – When gyms were closed because of COVID-19, this fitness app was a great solution. Again, the intuitive UI and straightforward structure of the app create an enjoyable user experience.

How long have you been working on this app?

We have been working on the app and CRM system since we started the company in 2017. Of course, the app is never fully finished as user expectations constantly change; so, we are in a constant process of assessment, adaptation and development to ensure that we can offer a great solution at all times.

What need of the user did you have in mind when developing this app?

We were determined to solve the anonymity between customers and the hospitality industry. Regular customers are key for the industry, but they are not actively managed. On the other side, customers want to be rewarded which leads to loyalty to brands and businesses.

We are solving a systematic global challenge for many customer-facing industries.

In what way do you think your app is better than similar apps on the market? Please describe in detail what innovation you think you bring and what you are proud of in your app.

Our experience has taught us that convenience is absolutely key to the success of many apps. After all, if an app is difficult to navigate or has an overly complex ‘sign-up process, users simply won’t use it.

So, we created an app that is intuitive, easy to use, and well structured. We realized that a big portion of our downloads comes from users who are on the go or in a venue. This means that the sign-up process to the app must be in as few steps and as short as possible. And the numbers suggest that we have achieved just that, with over 250k users having downloaded Embargo already.

Last but not least, it is also built to satisfy the expectations of the other side of our market – our venues/merchants. We’ve created a ‘plug and play’ system, so any business can easily incorporate it into their day-to-day operations. This way, businesses can easily access valuable insights into their loyal customer base and reward them accordingly. We are encouraged by the uptake from hospitality merchants as well, with over 300 venues signing up to Embargo within the previous twelve months alone.

What are your future plans and expected features of the coming new versions of this app?

Product development is key for us. We will be launching a brand-new version of the app soon, based on user feedback. One development that we are particularly excited about is the fully integrated Online Ordering system, which will allow users to collect loyalty rewards wherever they are. What’s more, this new feature will allow hospitality businesses to widen their pool of loyal customers even further – everyone will benefit!

We are always looking to adding features that make sense and are part of the Embargo ecosystem.

Assuming new users of your app are reading this page. What do you want to ask them to do (contact you about X, Share the app, etc.)?

Use the app, share your feedback with us and recommend it to your friends! There are only benefits to using Embargo, and we can’t wait to help you build your own customer experience with a plethora of fantastic bars, restaurants and cafes in your local area.