Yowza!!

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Secret agent, psychic cop … and iPhone developer? Most of us would be happy to be just one of those things, but Greg Grunberg is all three. Not resting on his laurels with his current role on NBC’s Heroes (or past success on hit shows such as Felicity and Alias), Greg is also a budding iPhone entrepreneur!

We ran into Greg when we were showing off FaceFighter at the recent House of Game exhibition, and Greg was kind enough to show us his first iPhone App — Yowza!!

Yowza!! is a free App that provides digital coupons to users direct from local retailers. Based on your location, the App selects deals from restaurants and retail outlets and puts them on your phone. Go to the retailer, show your digital coupon, and save a couple bucks, all without having to search out, clip, and organize paper coupons.

Smitten with Greg’s enthusiasm (and who WOULDN’T be?), we downloaded Yowza!! and spent a couple days with Greg’s brainchild. We liked what we saw, and and in the spirit of iPhone developer solidarity, asked Greg if he’d like to talk about Yowza!! here at Appy Place …

APPY: Which came first — the celebrity, or the iPhone developer?

Greg: I have always been interested in business. Fans of Felicity will be interested in knowing my character, Sean Blumberg, was based on my real life. I can’t stop thinking about the next great idea. In this case I’m hoping it’s Yowza!!

APPY: Has your status as a celebrity helped open doors in the growth of Yowza? Do you find that people have you compartmentalized — are they surprised to see that a television star has interests outside of the entertainment world?

Greg: I like to think of myself as the William Shatner of my day. Kidding. But not really.

APPY: We love the Shat.

Greg: Mr. Shatner is not only a great actor, but also a smart businessman. Business was my major in college so I have always had a mind for it. And yes, the doors tend to fly open for the Mind Reading Cop from Heroes. But once we get past that, business is business. I must say, however, that it really does take a lot more these days than just creating an iPhone App. If you don’t have a strong marketing budget and plan to back it up, nobody is going to hear about it.

APPY: With 45,000+ Apps in the App Store already, there is a lot of noise …

Greg: I am about to embark on a major publicity push (talk shows, radio shows, etc.) and it helps a great deal. Digital Couponing is still a revolutionary concept for retailers big and small, but when they know that I will be out there proudly boasting about their company is on Yowza!! it takes the gamble off of the idea of doing business with Yowza!!

APPY: Obviously, you’ve been involved in film and television longer than this new software market, but have you always had an interest in software and technology, or is this something that has emerged only recently in your life?

Greg: I have also always been a bit of a gadget guy. The iPhone fascinated me from day one. APPLE has fascinated me since 1984. But I am by no means the genius behind Yowza!! That credit falls squarely on the shoulders of my partners, August Trometer and Rick Yaeger, especially August. I just came up with the idea for Yowza!! and am able to get the word out about something my wife and I thought could change the way people shop and save money — August is the one who made it happen. Rick makes it look gorgeous.

APPY: And what sparked the idea for Yowza?

Greg: Elizabeth and I have three boys and we are constantly trying to save money. We do not have time to read the paper any more let alone cut coupons … and then there is the whole notion of organizing them and remembering to have them at the exact moment you need them.

APPY: Plus, they have a nasty habit of expiring.

Greg: Forget about it! The idea hit me as I was walking from my car on a trip to Bed Bath & Beyond. We love that place and as I entered the store the dread fell upon me that I had once again forgotten the 20% off coupon in the car.

APPY: One of the Appy Wives said she’s always getting coupons from that shop but is too lazy to go back home and get them.

Greg: I’m too lazy to go back to my car. But I never forget my cell phone. And that’s when it hit me. But I had no idea how to manipulate Apple’s SDK. Cut to a month later, I’m on Twitter and I get a tweet from Rick asking if I would take a moment to meet another great guy and rock star in the App world, August. We proceeded to have an iChat and the rest is history.

APPY: When did the Yowza!! service first go live?

Greg: Yowza!! has been live for about 6 weeks now and we are thrilled with all aspects of our growth so far. The retailers that have offers up on Yowza!! are seeing close to a 20% redemption rate.

APPY: Impressive, especially considering you are so new. I downloaded Yowza!! and at first it didn’t have any offers here in North San Diego, but then — bing — a bunch popped up. You really are building this network in real time.

Greg: We hear the critics and reviews loud and clear that we don’t yet have enough national retailers on board. That is about to change in a huge way. People must understand that it takes time to make strategic partnerships with major retailers.

APPY: When you live on Twitter and the net all the time, it’s easy to forget that things take their time in the real world. It’s only been a month or so since we launched Appy Newz but it feels like years in this market. It takes time to build quality content and relationships.

Greg: Yowza!! doesn’t now and will NEVER just aggregate coupons for the sake of having offers fill your screen. Every offer listed on Yowza!! has been listed by the RETAILER. They have total control over their offers. They list them, so they HONOR them. All Yowza!! offers are REAL offers. You cannot say that with all of the other coupon applications out there. So be careful … If you are currently frustrated with the amount of retailers participating in your area when you check Yowza!! … hang in there … many, many more to come. We promise you that.

APPY: Is the Yowza!! business model something you’re interested in growing long-term, or do you feel that acquisition by a larger entity (and subsequent loss of control) would provide a faster route to success?

Greg: We are having too much fun and success right now to think about being acquired by a giant company.  It really is a full time job meeting with the heads of all of these incredible companies like Sears, Container Store, Sports Authority, Dairy Queen, Kiehl’s, and the dozens and dozens of other companies we are about to announce, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. We are in this for the long haul.

APPY: Any plans for platforms beyond the iPhone?

Greg: There is nothing like the iPhone, plain and simple. Nothing works as well, does as much, and is as intuitive as the iPhone and iPod touch. We are about to come out with Version 1.1 of Yowza!! which is going to blow your mind and it would never have been possible on any other mobile devices currently on the market. That is not to say that we are not working on a version of Yowza!! for the other platforms, we ARE. But to get the full Yowza!! experience, at least for now, you’ll have to invest in an iPhone or iPod Touch. But think of it this way, buy an iPhone and use Yowza!! when you shop and it will pay for your phone in savings in a matter of a couple of months.

APPY: I like how the App tracks the money you’ve saved over time. It’s a little reward system, almost a mini-game.

Greg: I was in an elevator recently and a woman I didn’t know leaned over and whispered in my ear, “You just saved me 60 bucks …” How can you beat that?

Given that Greg’s mental powers on Heroes, we wonder if that woman REALLY whispered in his ear, or if he read her thoughts.

Nah. Couldn’t be. But just in case, we’ll continue to think good thoughts about Greg, and about Yowza!!

Thanks to Greg for dropping by Appy Place … we encourage all loyal members of the Appy Army to download Yowza!! immediately. Apps like Yowza!! and involvement from public figures like Greg just go to show how much the iPhone has captured the popular imagination, and this market is only just getting started. Who knows where it will end up?

(NOT Greg. He reads minds — he doesn’t predict the future. There’s a difference. Or maybe he does predict the future. Either way, get Yowza!! And thanks again, Greg!)

Explore posts in the same categories: Praise For The Other Guys

Tags: Alias, App, Apple, Appy Army, Appy Place, August Trometer, FaceFighter, Felicity, Greg Grunberg, Heroes, House of Game, iPhone, Rick Yaeger, Shatner, Twitter, Yowza!!

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