Ann Arbor developer, Bubble Tea pioneer app to track rewards points

Wednesday, May 18, 2011 | Source: Concentrate

The newest mobile app technology could come from a Bubble Tea store in Ann Arbor.

The founders of Bubble Island, the Ann Arbor version of the Bubble Tea craze in Asia, had become frustrated with reward programs for their loyal customers who couldn't always remember to bring their reward cards. "It defeats the purpose of these things if they keep forgetting," says David Linn, president of Bubble Island.

So Linn, a University of Michigan graduate and MBA student, reached out to Keith Bourne, who runs the Mobile Monday meetups in Ann Arbor and Detroit. The two led a team that developed a smart phone app, Molocard, for customers to keep track of their reward points and to give retailers like Bubble Island the information they need to give better service.

Molocard, a free app, keeps track of customer reward points for various participating retailers, allowing consumers to keep a few less punch cards in their wallets. It also comes with software for the retailers to keep track of their customers' habits. All consumers have to do is give a retailer their phone number and the information is logged. "You don't need your phone, in case it's dead or lost," Bourne says. "You just need your number."

Bubble Tea is using the prototype of this app right now. Bourne hopes to find a larger market for their technology over the next year.

Source: David Linn, president of Bubble Island and Keith Bourne, founder of Mobile Monday Ann Arbor
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.