Crumbs Bake Shop has rolled out a one-of-a-kind incentive within its newly launched iPhone application to drive sales and increase visits to its stores.

The uniqueness in the Crumbs app is that it allows users to design and send customized birthday- or holiday-themed gift certificates, redeemable at any Crumbs location, to friends and family from within the application itself. The powerful incentive is meant to drive sales and increase visits to the Crumbs stores.

“As we grow the Crumbs brand as the national neighborhood bakery we want to continue to connect with our consumers in new and exciting ways that underscore our existing initiatives such as successful specials with Foursquare,” said Jason Bauer, cofounder/CEO of Crumbs, New York.

“Through the Crumbs app, we aim to make it easier for customers to buy on-the-go, as well as view and share our gourmet cupcakes with others via their iPhones,” he said.

The new application, created by Global Bay Mobile Technologies Inc., lets customers enjoy interactive experiences and live news updates, as well as purchase Crumbs gift certificates via a mobile coupon function.

Sharing means caring
Not only does the Crumbs app showcase the brand’s cupcakes and locations, it gives the user the ability to share in multiple ways.

Users can post their favorite cupcakes on their Facebook wall, send a greeting card for sixteen different occasions and give a gift certificate for cupcakes that can be redeemed at any Crumbs location.

The ability for the Crumbs application to drive visits to its stores via the gift certificates is a powerful way to increase revenue.

“The Crumbs iPhone app is not your standard static, templated application that many retailers have deployed,” said Sandeep Bhanote,  CEO of Global Bay, South Plainfield, NJ. “Global Bay’s approach is to create a brand-appropriate, native application that ensures a highly compelling user experience.”

The application is also fully integrated into Crumbs’ existing store systems and loyalty programs, allowing for the brand to track and get to know its customers better.

Leveraging iPhone
The application also features an interactive store locator feature that uses the built-in GPS support of the iPhone to help users find the nearest Crumbs Bake Shop.

Additionally, the app leverages the iPhone’s built-in support of Apple’s mail program when users send a cupcake gift certificate.

Finally, images of the cupcakes are rendered to provide users with rich images of their favorite cupcakes that can be viewed full screen.

“The iPhone features worked well with our product and the App Store is the largest source for mobile apps,” Mr. Bauer said. “Launching with the iPhone app also gave us the ability to reach customers with iPads and the iPod Touch as well. We look forward to bringing the Crumbs app to additional platforms in the future.”