Gravy has come along way since it was born as timeRAZOR. The company that makes the hyperlocal event app which allows people to discover things going on near where they work, live or plan to be, has gone through more changes than just its name. With the development and launch of web portal (see below) and better geo-searching within a specific location, stronger channels and the growing improvement of pulling in social trends related to event listings and event venues, Gravy has achieved a higher level of sophistication and power for the user to find events of interest.
These changes also translate well for businesses seeking to tap into consumers who are looking for things to do. By connecting their mobile app to deals and special events, such as movie releases, Gravy is becoming a stronger option for retailers and companies in the entertainment industry who are interested in driving paying traffic to their sales and events.
For the purpose of this blog post, I will focus mainly on the new web portal and location search, and follow-up with an update on Gravy’s benefit to retailers (including events and movie releases) in a broader piece on apps retailers can use to increase their engagement.
Gravy’s New Web Portal Delivers
The launch of the new web portal this year is something Gravy fans have been eagerly anticipating. While the mobile app is a great discovery tool for when you are on the move, a majority of people still search for activities and events using their computer, either at home or at work.
With the FindGravy.com portal, people can easily identify events based on locations and moods, just like they can in app. What’s more, by logging in (the easiest way is to connect through Facebook), you can save events to your account, share them socially and add them to your calendar.
What’s more, by clicking a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, you can start to build a better feed of events that FindGravy.com will serve you. If you do this consistently throughout the different moods, it should greatly improve the kinds of events you want to see. Gravy has the largest database of events in the US (I assume that also would mean the world, but that’s my pro-America bias showing), so this process should connect you with a wide array of exciting things to discover.
This brings me to the event listings on FindGravy.com. They are incredibly robust. To the rleft is an example of a Latin American Salsa Making event taking place in Washington, DC. The event description pulls in a great image, the ability to buy tickets, as well as all the key ways you need to promote the event. Gravy even includes the option to create a Facebook event. And if you have synced your Gravy account with Facebook, this process is extremely easy. Within the mobile app version, you can tap to text an event to friends.
Overall, the descriptions in the new web portal give people searching for compelling things to do a great display with easy-to-use tools to rope in friends. It helps to make Gravy more of a complete solution for people looking to be active.
Discovering Events In The Gravy App Based On Location And The Map
A few quick words on the new location search features in the Gravy app.
With the original versions you had to pre-load your home and work locations. Later you were able to add a third area. But the structure of the app made it hard to intuitively get there. Now, with the latest redesign, a person can discover what’s going on using a range.
With markers that indicate what kind of mood or activity, you can adjust the map to better find things around you based on your location or an entered location, which is done simply at the top of the screen. This is a really great improvement to the app, and the user experience.
You can still access the drop down by tapping on the address that appears on the top, as well as change your mood by tapping on the moods on the upper-far-right on the screen.
Quick Thoughts
Overall, the changes keep coming from Gravy, both in the app and on the website. In just the last year the company has processed over 100 million events, and made over 300 million recommendations. But there is more to come. As Gravy continues to add new features and functionality, it will end up being the social app of choice for millions of people to find things to do based on how they feel and what they have explored previously.
If you have an event to add to Gravy’s database, click to submit a local event.
Do not forget to download the app for your phone and check out Gravy’s new website at: www.findgravy.com
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