SARATOGA SPRINGS — Adirondack Trust Company has a way to help customers save money in the New Year: by using their Beyond Savings app. Launched in July 2019, the app continues to provide deals, or “perks” to customers shopping locally.
“There’s lots of rewards programs and apps that people can use to get discounts, but we wanted one that was just with local merchants on it,” said Rob Ward, Marketing Manager at the Adirondack Trust. “And also, from a digital perspective, everybody uses their phone for just about everything these days.”
The app works by tracking its user’s location and notifying them when they’re near a business that offers a perk. Some of the perks can include a discount, or various free items with purchases.
“It’s fun in a way that the app is actually interacting with you as you’re moving through the community, and then you’re looking to see what perk alerts come up and the value of the perk or discount that the merchant may be offering,” said Ward. “You may decide to go in and take advantage of it, or you may keep it in mind for future reference.”
The location tracking, or geofencing technology, is what makes this app so distinguishable from others. “The geo-fencing was a critical component of selecting this app for us,” said Ward. “We wanted it to be instantaneous; you know, sometimes people plan to go use a discount, and other times, some things are spontaneous.”
Merchants who want to offer perks on the app can sign up through a form on the Adirondack Trust website, though they must sign up for at least one year and have a business account with the bank. Once approved, businesses can begin to offer perks through the app. “They have full control over what offers that they have,” said Celia Vincek, Digital Marketing Assistant at the Adirondack Trust.
The app currently has around 75 participating vendors, ranging from Glens Falls to Clifton Park. Ward stated that the bank will begin more outreach for the app in March of this year, in preparation for the Spring and Summer season. “The more value that we can add to the app in the form of perks, we feel the more valuable that it’ll be to individuals that use the app and frequent it,” he said. The app is available for free in the App Store and the Google Play Store.
