Press Releases
RETAILMENOT, INC. EMBARKED ON MID-FLIGHT HACKATHON DURING FIRST NONSTOP BRITISH AIRWAYS LONDON-TO-AUSTIN FLIGHT
World’s largest digital coupon marketplace worked to build test model of a destination-bound coupon app called “Takeoff” on new business-friendly flight
March 3–4, 2014 (Austin, TX, and London) – RetailMeNot, Inc. (www.retailmenot.com/corp), the world’s largest digital coupon marketplace, announced today that it participated in a mid-air hackathon aboard British Airways’ first nonstop transatlantic flight from London to Austin, Texas, on March 3. The goal: Develop an alpha model of a travel savings app, called Takeoff, that will help consumers save money on local offers once they land!
Ten international employees from RetailMeNot, Inc. traveled from its European offices in London to the company’s U.S. headquarters in Austin, Texas, with the mission of building a new travel app for consumers during the 10-hour transatlantic flight. Taking advantage of the 787 Dreamliner’s in-flight space and amenities, developers from RetailMeNot’s U.K. office, which supports the company’s VoucherCodes.co.uk website, raced against the clock in a bid to build RetailMeNot’s Takeoff app by the time they touched down in Austin.
Jag Bath, a U.K. native and senior vice president of product for RetailMeNot, Inc., in the United States said, “This direct flight from London to Austin on British Airways will help companies, like RetailMeNot, with offices in both locations save time and money. Direct flights like this one from British Airways will enable our teams to collaborate more on innovative projects as we send company employees on transatlantic business trips.”
The goal of the hackathon was to develop an alpha model of a web tool that, upon touchdown, would act as a money-saving travel companion that could help travelers find the best restaurant, shopping deals and special offers on both sides of the Atlantic. The goal is to have the RetailMeNot Takeoff app sync with information from the passenger’s flight itinerary to identify relevant savings based on his or her destination.
“We’re constantly looking for new ways to innovate so we can deliver the very best to our customers, whether they’re at home or abroad, but I don’t think we ever imagined we’d get the chance to build a new consumer product at 30,000 feet in the air! For British Airways customers and others, our team’s goal is to create a new tool that can help travelers shop, eat and save like a local as soon as they step off the plane,” said Matt Wilkins, senior vice president of product and engineering, RetailMeNot E.U.
"The RetailMeNot hackathon embodies the spirit of this new British Airways route - an opportunity to build relationships, accelerate ideas and bring the international innovation community closer together. We are excited to see the results and look forward to helping local businesses across the Atlantic connect quickly, easily and more often, “ said John McDonald, Vice President, Marketing, British Airways Americas.
For more information please contact:
Brian Hoyt
Vice President, Communications
RetailMeNot, Inc.
Austin, Texas, U.S.A.
+1 202 330 3070
Duncan Skehens
Sr. Manager, Communications
VoucherCodes.co.uk/RetailMeNot, Inc.
London, England, U.K.
+011 44 020 3597 7495
About RetailMeNot, Inc.
RetailMeNot, Inc. (www.retailmenot.com/corp/) operates the world's largest digital coupon marketplace. The company enables deal-seeking consumers across the globe to find hundreds of thousands of digital coupons and offers from retailers and brands. RetailMeNot, Inc. experienced more than 560 million visits to its websites in 2013 and its mobile apps have been downloaded nearly 14 million times. The RetailMeNot, Inc. portfolio includes www.RetailMeNot.com, the largest digital coupon marketplace in the United States; www.RetailMeNot.ca in Canada; www.VoucherCodes.co.uk, the largest digital coupon marketplace in the United Kingdom; www.Deals.com in Germany; www.Actiepagina.nl, a leading digital coupon site in the Netherlands; Bons-de-Reduction.com and www.Ma-Reduc.com, leading digital coupon sites in France; www.Poulpeo.com, a leading digital coupon site with cash back in France; andwww.Deals2Buy.com, a leading discount offer site in North America. RetailMeNot, Inc. went public in July 2013 and is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol "SALE." Investors interested in learning more about the company can visit: http://investor.retailmenot.com/.
About VoucherCodes.co.uk
VoucherCodes.co.uk is the UK’s largest digital coupon marketplace, helping millions of consumers shop with the brands they love, for less. Every Tuesday members receive VoucherCodes.co.uk’s weekly newsletter, packed with the very best offers and deals from the UK’s favourite retailers, restaurants and attractions.
VoucherCodes.co.uk works with over 3,000 of the UK’s favourite retailers and restaurants, so no matter what consumers are looking for we’re sure to have a great deal to help save them money. VoucherCodes.co.uk’s website, email newsletter and mobile shopping app make it safe and simple for its 7 million registered members to save money, whether they’re shopping online, in-store or through their mobiles.
VoucherCodes.co.uk is a RetailMeNot, Inc. website.
