The FanSaves app continues to pick up steam as it is now being used by teams and organizations across North America, from New Mexico to Halifax but its expansion isn’t just geographical. FanSaves was founded two and half years ago to help sports teams increase their sponsorship sales, giving sponsors a way to offer digital discounts and deals to fans but new opportunities have begun to arise.
Kris McCarthy and I both had a background in sports and we knew sponsors wanted more than the traditional inventory we had to offer them so we came up with the idea for FanSaves.
The idea and concept was simple: Offer fans discounts and deals from sponsors of teams on the FanSaves app so that sponsors could better track ROI and customer analytics and be promoted on a digital platform.
But recently, the FanSaves’ team started being approached by more than just sports teams as we know that there were many vertical market opportunity to grow as Kris and I realized that everyone is a fan of something so we’ve broadened our horizons and its really paying off.
The app now features a university, an e-sports league, Downtown BIAs and Tourism groups, a youth soccer league and a Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce vertical is beginning to expand quickly as FanSaves allows Chambers to offer a more engaging Member-to-Member Discount program.
Kris and I are also in talks with many events, conferences, festivals and not-for-profits, all which rely heavily on sponsorship but often can’t offer their sponsors much more than their logo on a banner.
FanSaves is now able to help any group or entity that has a sponsorship or advertising stream and for us it’s so exciting to know we can help so many different verticals but also give users access to even more deals because everyone’s a fan of Saving Money!
The discounts and deals on FanSaves vary even more than the verticals which offer them. The free app currently offers users discounts from industries including restaurants, hotels, retail, insurance, automotive, business services and more.
Think of it like your favourite social media network where you follow a “page” only with FanSaves when you follow a “page” you get discounts and deals in your feed instead of pictures or status updates.
As the discounts and deals platform begins to expand internationally and across many different verticals, it was clear that FanSaves was solving a problem that many people didn’t even realize existed. Some people are still confused when they find out they can get discounts and deals for free, just by signing up for a FanSaves account.
Some users think there’s a catch and we have to tell them that there’s not, that they can simply download the app and get free discounts. This day and age, not much is free so it’s a really cool feeling to know that what we offer doesn’t cost the user anything and we are excited to be offering such a platform.
As this Canadian app continues to grow, it’s clear that a part of their success has come from being able to pivot and roll with the punches, something that we as co-founders and lifelong athletes feel is necessary for growth.
Speaking of growth, readers of Spotlight on Business Magazine will now be able to take advantage of exclusive offers from featured companies and advertisers that appear in the magazine to expand their reach far past the issue that they are in, to keep readers connected with their favorite stories and brands. So, remember to sign up for the FanSaves app and follow the Spotlight on Business Magazine page, then start saving.
by Shannon Ferguson