Surefire Market Entry Plan and Functional Design for a Coupon Startup

About Our Customer

The Customer is a US-based fintech startup focused on embedded finance solutions for retail. The company continuously expands its financial software product range to introduce convenient payment experiences for online and in-store buyers.

Innovative Coupon App Needed a Solid Market Entry Plan

The Customer wanted to launch a fintech application that would enable retail customers to easily purchase, store, and redeem coupons. Before starting the project, the Customer wanted to ensure the app’s economic feasibility and high value for end users. Due to the lack of relevant in-house competencies, the company sought expert assistance to design an optimal solution and create a cost-effective market entry strategy. ScienceSoft came across as a trustworthy startup consulting provider with 20 years of experience in retail IT and 18 years in financial software development.

Functional Design and Market Entry Strategy

ScienceSoft’s lead startup consultant analyzed the Customer’s needs and studied the target audience to engineer the requirements for the coupon application. Next, he researched the competitors’ offerings to identify commonly available app functionality and the features that could differentiate the new coupon app, increasing its value for buyers. Our expert also explored the retail coupon market to understand the potential scope of brand partnerships.

Given the Customer’s budget restrictions, our expert suggested outsourcing coupon verification and performed a comparative analysis of possible coupon validation service providers. By trusting coupon validation to a third party, the Customer could cut development costs and quickly introduce coupons from new merchants in its app.

Using the gathered insights, ScienceSoft’s consultant introduced:

• A detailed list of business and technical requirements for the coupon app, including region- and industry-specific compliance requirements.
• A comprehensive functional map of the application with features and screens prioritized according to their expected value for end users.
• A unique selling proposition outlining the solution’s distinctive features.
• Recommendations on the budget-friendly coupon validation service providers.
• A list of potential coupon suppliers to support the Customer’s business model and drive higher revenue.
• An optimal monetization model for the product, aligned with the Customer’s profitability goals.

In addition, ScienceSoft’s expert provided cost and time estimates for building a dynamic prototype, a proof of concept, and an MVP of the application.

Foundation for High Product Value and Smooth Market Entry

In only five weeks, the Customer received a clear functional concept, a unique selling proposition, and a high-level implementation map for its coupon app. The proposed market entry strategy helped the Customer plan a smooth and cost-effective product launch. Thanks to ScienceSoft’s advice on the third-party coupon validation providers, the company got the opportunity to optimize the app’s development and operating expenses.

Methodologies

Q&A sessions, functional decomposition, business requirements analysis, comparative analysis.