A local app developer is bucking the common business trend of creating free apps to gain a loyal customer base that will then pay a small fee for a premium version.
Janice Tetlock, who is financing development and commercialization of international area code app PUSHoneCode, told Business in Vancouver that her app’s future revenue is likely to flow from signing licensing agreements with travel agencies or peer-review travel businesses that would enable those companies to brand the app as their own.
The app uses a global positioning system (GPS) to determine a traveller’s location and the relevant area codes for that precise location as a way to enable travellers to dial contacts in their iPhone with one touch.
For those who fear exorbitant roaming charges and do not use their smart phone when abroad, PUSHoneCode can also be useful because it provides a text explanation of how to dial the desired phone call. The user can then make the call on a different phone.
“It’s like we’re a telecom,” she told Business in Vancouver. “We’re the back end that determines how to make the call so it is simple for a user who has just arrived at an airport.”
Apps such as Skype and Viber enable callers to dial contacts using either Wi-Fi or data plans but neither determines area codes.
Vancouver-based Tetlock employs a developer and a well-travelled business development employee. Her app has been in development for two years to ensure that PUSHoneCode has accurate data and does not crash.
PUSHoneCode launched in June as a $4 download on iTunes and has since made several hundred sales. After iTunes takes its $1.20 commission on each sale, Tetlock is left with $2.80 revenue on each sale.
Many sales have been outside North America where roaming charges are lower and unlocked are more common. An Android version of PUSHoneCode is in development.
