Cigars store/club locator & Social Networking Platform
Social Media for Cigar Enthusiasts
After thoughtful discussion and planning we set out to transform a simple idea into many possibilities, designed to serve the needs of a vibrant community.
After thoughtful discussion and planning we set out to transform a simple idea into many possibilities, designed to serve the needs of a vibrant community.
Kirtlan & Karen
United States of America
UI/UX Design, Development, SEO, Maintenance and Support, Brand strategy, Hosting
Smarty, Angular.JS, Google Services and API, Wordpress
Entertainment & Media
Cigars are a true collector's item and for this husband and wife team they wanted to create the ultimate haven for cigar fans everywhere, complete with blogs, news and data.
During our initial consultation we discovered their ultimate goal was slightly different from what they thought was needed, so our team went to work researching the best features for their goals.
We evaluated the biggest challenges facing the cigar community and devised a group of features for the site that would solve those dilemmas.
After 5 years of steady work and innovation, we're proud to help build one of the largest online cigar communities.
For travelers, it can be difficult to locate a trusted cigar club with great service. Is it better to Google it or ask around? Cigars Near Me provides an easy solution. you can find local cigar info from any city or states including prices, brands, and current availability. Not to mention real-life data and reviews from cigar experts to help you make the best selections.
When the team at Cigars Near Me contacted DecodeUp, their desire was simple: a shiny new website. But the collecting several kinds of data for this tool would pose a challenge. We needed to present store locations, product information, pricing and reviews all in the same place.
It was a difficult task to aggregate the data and ensure that anything collected from public sources was accurate and could be verified before publishing on the site.
One of the greatest obstacles in planning this kind of tool was pioneering a new technology that didn't exist. Because there was no precedent for the cigar community, we had to apply foresight to the potential needs, challenges and benefits of this site.
To move forward, we crafted a list of the greatest challenges we would have to tackle in order to create an impressive tool.
The most important key for cigar fans everywhere is being able to locate the nearest cigar store. Since most cigar enthusiasts are active web users, the goal was to bring all locations together in one place.
It's hard to know what a store carries, even if you visit in-person. You can't always identify the best selection or if their inventory is legitimate. We had to verify and identify inventory info at hundreds of locations.
It's not easy to know what flavors, sizes and prices are available for any given cigar at a certain location. Accessing this information was not easy and would be a challenge to maintain.
Cigars Near Me wanted someone to help them solve these dilemmas, and we're glad they chose us.
Our meticulous step-by-step process always begins by asking the important questions to identify what the project needs to accomplish. This includes the following steps:
Discovery
Plan/Budget
Design
Develop
Marketing (if applicable)
During Discovery, we become well acquainted with our clients' goals and help them to articulate and discover every aspect of their ambitions. It's absolutely necessary, or else we're creating blindly.
We designed personalized algorithms to fit the needs of cigar enthusiasts. This essentially created "towers" that existed virtually throughout the world which then collected data for us that we used to operate the tool (it's kind of top secret stuff so that's all we can say!).
Design a special algorithm to catch data? Check
Store info virtually? Check
Update location data automatically? Check
One of the greatest tasks to creating Cigars Near Me was pulling together important information. This means collecting information on the size, flavors, and brands of cigars.
This data is organized by our algorithm and output into easy-to-read information for users.
All data is collected from the web
Algorithms filter each detail
Data is presented on frontend to users
The end product was a social networking site for cigar enthusiasts, a place for users to share cigar information and experiences on restaurants, bars, lounges and more.
Users have the ability to message one another within the site and engage in discussions about any number of cigar topics.
Listing for locations to find cigars around town are one of the most popular features of the site. We use API to coordinate store data and store owners claim their locations and customize information about their shop.
There are additional intuitive features such as reviewing cigars, reviewing stores, connecting with other users, saving posts, etc. It's a one-stop shop of cigar lovers!
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With an assortment of competition we knew Cigars Near Me had to accomplish two important things: clear information and easy access.
Every component was built for speed so users aren't met with long load times.
Our backend runs on multiple versions of API to seamlessly orchestrate large data sets.
Our team handpicked the best social networking features for an optimized experience.
Modern technology makes the site sleek, efficient and high-performing.
The final product was tested on multiple devices to ensure a positive experience on all devices.
Users quickly fell in love with Cigars Near Me because it's a simple solution to a problem that was complicated for way too long. They can easily find stores based on the cigars they sell, read reviews and connect with likeminded people. It's helped cigar enthusiasts to connect and learn about something they love at the click of a button. Store owners also benefited by reaching consumers in a central location, as the site provided an additional way to reach their target audience directly.
