Koscer.com to Become Online Destination for Local Deals
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Daniel [email protected]
Many go shopping at the malls in Fort Wayne.
But what about when you’re trying to find a reputable plumber in Warsaw?
What if you’re looking for a lunch special and Groupon’s only offers are for South Bend and Fort Wayne?
In a world where more and more people are finding services, deals and information online as opposed to through other venues, sites like Groupon, Angie’s List and Yelp serve people well.
That is if you live in a larger metropolitan area.
Kevin Hamstra sees a need for a local site where people can find information about specials and sales as well as information about businesses and organizations in Kosciusko County.
It’s basically trying to combine the most user-friendly aspects of larger sites but make it usable for residents of Kosciusko County.
The site is slated to launch in about three weeks (there is a countdown at koscer.com currently).
The site will differ from sites like Angie’s List, Yelp or Urbanspoon where people can leave comments about businesses good, bad or indifferent.
“I want it to be a friendly site,” said Hamstra who is building the website through his company 1Eighty Design. “I’m not looking to do five-star ratings. It will allow people to recommend something, similar to the ‘like’ button on Facebook.”
Another aspect of the website will be a “I want to” section where if, for example, someone types in “remodel my home,” different businesses will show up in relation to home repair. Or if someone types in “plan a wedding,” different caterers, floral shops and event planners will show up.
The yearly charge for a business to be listed on Koscer is $75. The site will also list not-for-profits for free and charge anywhere from $30 to $45 to manage information for them.
Business then, for a nominal fee, can add modules that will list events, coupons, news and even job openings.
Menus also can be uploaded to the site.
For Hamstra, with the site having so many moving parts, he wants it to be functional for users as well as useful for businesses from the beginning.
“My challenge is to bring users to the site,” said Hamstra who has been doing web design for 10 years. “Users want information to go to the site. The businesses want users as potential customers. Right now I’m creating awareness of the site and then getting businesses.”
Hamstra hopes the site can grow enough to where when somebody, for example, types in “Warsaw, Ind. plumber” into Google, one of the first results leads people to Koscer.
“I’m dreaming big,” said Hamstra.
Hamstra is also looking to draw interest in his site with a promotion where anyone who “likes” Koscer on Facebook is entered for a chance to win an IPad 2.
The page can be found by typing “Koscer” into the search or going to facebook.com/koscer
Besides the giveaway, Hamstra hopes to build the site to where he can give 10 percent of his earnings back to local charities.
For more information on Koscer or to sign up with the site, e-mail Hamstra at [email protected][[In-content Ad]]
Many go shopping at the malls in Fort Wayne.
But what about when you’re trying to find a reputable plumber in Warsaw?
What if you’re looking for a lunch special and Groupon’s only offers are for South Bend and Fort Wayne?
In a world where more and more people are finding services, deals and information online as opposed to through other venues, sites like Groupon, Angie’s List and Yelp serve people well.
That is if you live in a larger metropolitan area.
Kevin Hamstra sees a need for a local site where people can find information about specials and sales as well as information about businesses and organizations in Kosciusko County.
It’s basically trying to combine the most user-friendly aspects of larger sites but make it usable for residents of Kosciusko County.
The site is slated to launch in about three weeks (there is a countdown at koscer.com currently).
The site will differ from sites like Angie’s List, Yelp or Urbanspoon where people can leave comments about businesses good, bad or indifferent.
“I want it to be a friendly site,” said Hamstra who is building the website through his company 1Eighty Design. “I’m not looking to do five-star ratings. It will allow people to recommend something, similar to the ‘like’ button on Facebook.”
Another aspect of the website will be a “I want to” section where if, for example, someone types in “remodel my home,” different businesses will show up in relation to home repair. Or if someone types in “plan a wedding,” different caterers, floral shops and event planners will show up.
The yearly charge for a business to be listed on Koscer is $75. The site will also list not-for-profits for free and charge anywhere from $30 to $45 to manage information for them.
Business then, for a nominal fee, can add modules that will list events, coupons, news and even job openings.
Menus also can be uploaded to the site.
For Hamstra, with the site having so many moving parts, he wants it to be functional for users as well as useful for businesses from the beginning.
“My challenge is to bring users to the site,” said Hamstra who has been doing web design for 10 years. “Users want information to go to the site. The businesses want users as potential customers. Right now I’m creating awareness of the site and then getting businesses.”
Hamstra hopes the site can grow enough to where when somebody, for example, types in “Warsaw, Ind. plumber” into Google, one of the first results leads people to Koscer.
“I’m dreaming big,” said Hamstra.
Hamstra is also looking to draw interest in his site with a promotion where anyone who “likes” Koscer on Facebook is entered for a chance to win an IPad 2.
The page can be found by typing “Koscer” into the search or going to facebook.com/koscer
Besides the giveaway, Hamstra hopes to build the site to where he can give 10 percent of his earnings back to local charities.
For more information on Koscer or to sign up with the site, e-mail Hamstra at [email protected][[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092