Disclosure: I was compensated for this post, but all opinions are my own.
A couple weeks ago I received an email to try out a cool new app that allows you to support local businesses while earning rewards. Cyphr is an awesome app that you can use to support something local, something created with care and something unique.
Downloading Cyphr was easy and free in the App store. It downloaded quick and already has awesome reviews too. Once you download it, you then sign in. You can either sign in with Facebook or with your own email.
Once you are signed in, you are then walked through a quick tutorial about how the app works and how you can save money while helping support local businesses. Everything is tailored to your region so you are only receiving offers for the area that you shop in.
One of my favorite features of the app is that you can select a logo and get some more information about each company and also click to visit their website, open up their location in google maps and even call them.
Cyphr works by allowing you to select companies that you enjoy or want to try out and then unlocking them so that they can send you special “secret” offers that you can redeem in store. Offers are able to be trashed, shared or stored in your vault for later use.
Once the tutorial was completed, I went through the local businesses that I was interested in checking out and selected them. The ones that I selected were highlighted green and also have the lock icon in the unlock position.
I then navigated to the secret offers section of the app to see what those companies secret offers were. I opened them, took a peek and decided that I wanted to keep the secrets in my vault. Cyphr is really a wonderful way for you to support local businesses and also try new things out in your area! I for one am very excited to try out a new local coffee shop and save some cash while doing that.
When you redeem your offer you just simply show the cashier at the business the offer and it is easily cashed out for you just like a mobile coupon. It is important to remember that these secrets are time sensitive but a great way for you to support local businesses 365 days a year.
One of the best parts of trying out this app was learning more about the passion behind Cyphr. Dawson Barksdale, the CEO of Cyphr, stated that “Local businesses have a voice, and that voice needs to be heard. These businesses need a better way to reach their favorite customers in a way that delights and rewards them”. Cyphr is a way for local businesses to be heard, to offer customers something and to reward loyal customers. The benefit to the business is that unlike Groupon and other similar apps, instead of paying through them (often at a rate that includes commission and is not returned to the business), you pay directly to the business. As someone that grew up in a family that owns a small business this is definitely a company that I will be presenting to our stakeholders as a way to continue to grow our local roller skating rink businesses.
