Business Showcase: Glitterbug

Describe the company – the elevator pitch …

Glitterbug is an Irish software development company. Our flagship product is called ‘Be Our Guest’ which is a mobile digital platform for paperless weddings. It consists of two mobile applications – one for the couple and one for the guest. Couples download their version of ‘Be Our Guest’ and use it to customise the guest experience. They choose from handcrafted themes. Each theme is based on in-house developed fine art.

Guests receive a digital ‘Save The Date’ via email and a link to their copy of the mobile app. Guests can access wedding details, a tailored itinerary of events and locations and they can RSVP.
Couples are notified when guests download the app or RSVP and from their app they can easily manage and view RSVPs and dietary requirements, creating a seating plan which can be shared with venues.

Couples can also group guests, sending wedding events to specific guest groups. Guests will only see the events that they are invited to.

In addition to the invitation and events part of the wedding, we are continually adding new features including a micro-blog for the couple, CSV guest import, gift list, photo sharing and chat, ceremony detail and more.

How are you different?

1. Many paperless weddings solution simply send an email to the guests and the couples must collect their responses. Our product is different because every guest guests their very own secure copy of ‘Be Our Guest’ and this facilitates communications all the way through the wedding journey.

2. We are artists as well as developers. I paint and sell my own fine art (acrylics, watercolours and oil pastels). As part of our process, we develop our own art for exclusive use with ‘Be Our Guest’ and use the digital prints for backgrounds.

3. Our product is private and secure. There are quite a few free wedding websites out there and undoubtedly free mobile applications will come along. Their business model is often based on reselling customer details and pushing paid suppliers on couples. Their sites are often public too. In our market research, this was something that was abhorrent to couples.

We set about changing this. We make our money in an upfront way by selling our product for a fee. We do not charge suppliers to be listed or linked with us. We do not share customer information. Access to a wedding is protected so that only authenticated, listed guests can view wedding information.

Why will you do well?

We are providing something new to the Irish and UK market. It is a greener option, something which is increasingly important. Our product makes communications with guests a lot easier and less stressful. It saves time for busy couples. The fact that it is a mobile app rather than a website or web app means that it is designed for mobile users, is responsive and secure and can be used offline. Priced at less than the current stationery spend, it offers value for money. Finally, it is a private and secure platform so couples and guests can feel safe in the knowledge that their information and photos are protected.

Where are you based?

Glitterbug is based entirely in Ireland and we are members of Guaranteed Irish. We carry out all development work here in-house and never outsource. This is important as we wish to promote jobs in Ireland and also because we have absolute control over the code and what goes into ‘Be Our Guest’.

When was the company launched?

Glitterbug was launched in 2016 and ‘Be Our Guest’ was released on July 2019.

What have been your biggest wins to date?

Releasing ‘Be Our Guest’ after over 7 months of development was one of our biggest wins. We are also proud that our fiction app Snoop has reached over 7000 downloads and is still going strong.

Who are you trying to attract to your product?

We are reaching out to engaged couples who are looking for an easier, greener and better value solution to wedding stationery and wedding communications that do not compromise on art or style.

What tips would you give to others looking to build their business?

1. Persevere – even when you release your product, sales might take a while. This is the point at which we may feel like giving up, especially when we are shown stories of overnight successes that are often hyped up. Just because sales start out slow, does not mean that your product will not be successful. It is vital to know that many other businesses face this challenge no matter how good their product. So, please keep telling everyone about your product or service and don’t give up.

2. Don’t underestimate development time – building a business can take a long time, often we underestimate just how much time it takes to develop products and release to market.

3. There is a lot of support out there in terms of enterprise boards and startup groups. It’s vital to get out there and tell people about your product as this can lead to valuable feedback, networking opportunities and validation of your idea. Also, working as an entrepreneur can be a lonely road but talking to other people on the same journey makes a big difference.

Tell us about your team?

We are an Irish tech company based in Dublin called Glitterbug. There are two of us, partners Laura & Colin. We are both software developers and we are on a mission to make Ireland (and the world) greener through technology. Specifically, we aim to provide people with really viable, beautifully designed options so that moving from paper to virtual is a pleasant experience!

All of our lives Colin and I have both wanted to make a difference when it comes to helping the environment and do our best to help fight climate change. With ‘Be Our Guest’ and with our other upcoming events apps we hope to help people reduce paper waste by providing them with a viable, visually stunning alternative.

What are your plans for the future?

We aim to expand ‘Be Our Guest’ to a worldwide market. In addition to this, we will be releasing similar platforms for festivals, family occasions and events. We also have other exciting products in the pipeline.

What are your favourite tech gadgets?

We are currently involved in film making as part of an exciting new feature for our Snoop Chat Fiction app. This has introduced us to a whole new world of gadgets. Among our favourites would be the Panasonic Lumix camera, the gimbal (which turns your mobile phone into a useful video recording device) and the superb DaVinci film editing software.

What tech gadgets do you wish you could use to help you?

If money were no option we’d love to upgrade our current development set up to use higher spec hardware and a wider range of test devices (rather than relying on family and friends to test on as many devices as possible). We would also love to have a low energy passive house, something that uses technology to really reduce energy emissions. This is something we would aim for in the future.

Anything else you’d like to add/we should have asked?

We have an introductory offer available until the end of August 2019 where anyone who contacts us via email will receive 50% of ‘Be Our Guest’.

How do people get in touch with you?

Our product website for Be Our Guest is www.beourguest.app and our Glitterbug site is www.glitterbug.ie. You can email us at info@beourguest.app