The Full Okuru App Development Story
Updates
Digital Gift Cards
The Original Vision - Making the world a more connected place.
The idea for the Okuru app was born during the Covid pandemic. There was a need to simplify the way busy family members maintain loving connections with and sending gifts to loved ones overseas, And if we could at the same time give small businesses the opportunity to expand their reach to buyers outside their traditional market, that would help these businesses thrive better during hard times.
What the Okuru App does is to provide a simpler and more effective way to connect with loved ones and send them well-meaning digital gift cards to be used locally as it integrates seamlessly with instant messaging platforms like Whatsapp, Messenger, Telegram, SMS text and email platforms like Outlook, Google all using your mobile device.
The Full Development Timeline
Mar 2020 – Covid lockdowns started to affect individuals and businesses like nothing before.
Apr to Jul 2020 – Noticed the disconnect of families kept apart and found many difficulties in buying and sending gifts to loved ones overseas.
We could not find a website or app that could allow us to purchase digital gift cards for use in various countries and with the ability to send these cards via instant messaging apps.
Slowly the idea of building an app began, that would enable small businesses to create their own digital gift cards and upload them to our app to sell to our customers. This would involve creating a B2B platform that would synch with a B2C platform to seamlessly enable ease of local and international digital card gifting via instant messaging apps all under one mobile platform.
Aug to Nov 2020 – Spoke to various app developers in the USA, UK, Australia, India, Singapore. Started to develop a project plan and project overview.
Jan to Jun 2021 – Finalised project plan. Eventually agreed to work with a Melbourne based app developer.
Jul to Sep 2021 – Figma designs of MVP completed. Brought the project back to Perth as the proximity was deemed to be a crucial factor in development phase.
Oct 2021 – Engaged Xcepcion (Phil Bouwman & Craig Armour) as Project Consultants
Nov 2021 – Engaged BlueSky Digital Labs to prepare a Scoping Document on the Okuru App development project.
Jan 2022 – BlueSky Scoping Document completed and Quote received for app development
Engaged Moon Creature as UX Consultant
Feb 2022 – Appointed Elderton Group, JBC Corporate and Radium Capital to manage the R&D Tax Incentive Financing Scheme.
Mar 2022 – App development kick off by Ben & Josh of BlueSky Digital Labs
Jun 2022 – Trademark application put through for the brand name “Okuru”.
Jul 2022 – Registration for the R&D Tax Incentive Grant administered by the Australian Government. The Research and Development Tax Incentive (R&D Tax Incentive or R&DTI) helps companies innovate and grow by offsetting some of the costs of eligible research and development (R&D).
Worked with Jeremy (Elderton Group) on the application form and record keeping of R&D supporting documents.
Sep 2022 – First draft of app released. Feedback was given to BlueSky who went on to implement changes.
Oct 2022 – Received R&DTI Grant from the Australian Government via the Australian Taxation Office.
Mar 2023 – MVP completed thus ended Phase 1 App Development Contract with BlueSky Digital. The digital assets handed over were the Consumer App, Retailer App, Admin Portal and Retailer Portal.
May 2023 – Phase 2 development contract was awarded to Velocity Software.
July 2023 –Velocity Software had to spend a few weeks recreating and understanding the Phase 1 work done by BlueSky Digital Labs.
Aug 2023 – Software bugs were identified and fixed in Phase 1 versions. Work started for Phase 2 improvements. Website launch and marketing activities began.
So what is the final version of Okuru all about then?
What if we told you ….
That there is a simpler and more effective way to connect with loved ones living far from you and to give them gifts of value with just a few clicks on your mobile phone?
Forget the peak season shopping rush and long queues and high worldwide shipping costs and delivery delays.
Stay connected with loved ones and friends with the Okuru app. You will be part of the worldwide effort to reduce plastic waste. You will be able to send digital gift cards to recipients currently in Australia and Singapore using less time and less stress. With more countries in the pipeline.
Give a thoughtful gift effortlessly. Strengthen family and friendship connections. Put a smile on someone’s face. Make their day.
Okuru is also a friend of small businesses. Think family-owned cafes, restaurants, travel and experience tour operators, hair and beauty salons, spa and massage operators to name a few.
The Okuru platform is free for retailers to use to create gift cards to offer up for sale on the Okuru mobile app. When customers purchase a retailer’s gift card, the retailers will get roughly 95% of the face value of the gift card sold.
We will also provide a free to use retailer app to make the redemption of customers purchases using gift cards a seamless experience.
Forget offering BOGO (Buy One Get One) or 25% discounted vouchers on other marketing platforms. And take advantage of the cash upfront value and the unspent value of gift cards.
Download the Okuru app at the Apple AppStore and Google PlayStore today!
For Small Businesses wanting to use this platform, please register your interest using our Okuru Partner Sign Up Form.
