Project overview
LoyalFree started as a practical answer to a common place-marketing problem: towns and city centres had fragmented digital channels, inconsistent user journeys and no dependable way to keep local promotions current. The goal was to build a scalable SaaS platform that made local discovery useful for residents and commercially valuable for place partners.
This was not a brochure website project. It was a full product build with recurring operational demands, multi-stakeholder requirements and a business model that depended on sustained adoption.
Business challenge
Town and place teams needed one platform where people could discover local businesses, browse offers and engage with events without jumping across disconnected systems. Merchants also needed a simple way to manage listings and promotions without specialist training.
The challenge was balancing two sides of the platform at the same time: user-facing experience and operational tooling for internal teams and partners. If either side underperformed, retention and growth suffered.
Technical and product approach
I led the product and technical delivery from first principles: proposition shaping, architecture decisions, platform implementation and iterative releases. The stack and system design were chosen for reliability, maintainability and rapid iteration as adoption expanded.
Delivery included core platform development, content workflows, partner and merchant tooling, and practical processes for shipping updates without disrupting daily operations. Product decisions were driven by real usage patterns rather than assumption-led feature roadmaps.
Results and impact
LoyalFree grew to more than 100,000 users across 70+ towns, proving both market fit and operational viability. The platform was eventually sold, validating the commercial strength of the product and the delivery model behind it.
The wider lesson is that strong SaaS outcomes come from owning both technology and execution detail over time, not from one-off launches.
Relevant services
If you are building a platform with similar complexity, explore software and AI product development or engage fractional leadership through fractional CTO services. You can also browse the full work portfolio for related delivery examples.
FAQ
Was this a greenfield product build?
Yes. LoyalFree was developed as a full product journey, from proposition and architecture through delivery, adoption and eventual exit.
What made this project successful?
Clear technical ownership, short delivery cycles, and a focus on operational reality rather than feature volume.