We’re continuing our series of profiles of local-commerce companies by featuring Clutch. The purpose of these Q&A interviews is to give merchants, marketers and others in the industry a look at what some companies out there are doing. These profiles are also meant to offer different takes on the future of the local-commerce industry.
Clutch, which launched on Dec. 6, has created a mobile commerce platform melding shopping, loyalty and gifting together. Its iOS app aims to relieve consumers of the headache that comes with having gift cards, loyalty cards, daily deals, coupons and other shopping tools in separate apps or places. We talked with Andy O’Dell, co-founder and chief commercial officer, to learn more about the new company. Read on to learn the double meaning of “Clutch,” the company’s plans for 2013 and why daily deals are here to stay.
Please introduce yourself.
I am a co-founder and chief commercial officer of Clutch. I am responsible for the company’s commercial strategy, as well marketing, sales, product development and customer service to drive business growth and market share.
Prior to co-founding Clutch, I spent five years as co-founder and CEO of SKEPSU LLC, the company that developed the business strategy and technology that was merged into Clutch in 2012. Prior to SKEPSU, I was chief operations officer and vice president of sales for a regional real estate development firm. I was also responsible for $10 million of high-profile Fortune 500 clients while serving as director of sales at a marketing services firm. I have a degree in business administration with a focus on entrepreneurship from Lynn University.
How would you describe Clutch in one sentence?
The only mobile platform that unites shopping, loyalty and gifting, Clutch delivers the most relevant offers to consumers and the most targeted customers to merchants.
Now, without restrictions, tell us about Clutch and what it offers merchants and consumers? What is the overall vision of the company?
Our mission at Clutch is to simplify the mobile shopping experience. We understand that keeping track of gift cards, coupons and loyalty cards can be cumbersome. With Clutch, consumers can store all their cards in one place on their mobile device. They also can search for products
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