Borrow-It is an app which lets people lend each other items for a small fee - saving the trouble of buying one-off items.
A Gittisham man has bypassed the trouble of buying one-off items by developing an app which lets users borrow things from each other.
Dad-of-two James Fuller, created the app, called ‘Borrow-It’ with family members. The coding for the app was undertaken in Torquay.
“The biggest benefit for borrowers is not having to buy an item they may only use once or twice,” James said.
“For lenders, it’s a chance to recoup some of money they have spent on items that they have perhaps only used once or twice.
“It is earning for sharing - this new app is a part of the rapidly expanding sharing economy.
“My family have been incredibly supportive - even the children have been involved in the testing of the app.
“My wife Helen has been really supportive as well, and contributed a lot in Borrow-It’s development.”
It has been a labour of love for James, who has conquered a variety of technical challenges throughout the project.
It’s also been a time-consuming process too, as James works as a chartered surveyor - meaning he had to dedicate his evenings and weekends working on the app’s development.
Borrow-It is now available for download in App Store only at the moment, but James says has aims to branch the app into the android market, based on its success and demand.
“We don’t think there is another app quite like this,” he added.
“Comparable ideas don’t have the same functionality that we have incorporated to make using it as easy as possible, nor do they enable the lenders to make money from their stuff.
“Our model works on the basis of both borrower and lender seeing the benefits.”
The next few weeks will be telling for James, who hopes Borrow-It will get a good pick-up - and the signs seem encouraging so far.
“We have quite an active Facebook page and Twitter feed,” James said.
“We advertised the app on YouTube and have already got more than 1,400 views in four days on our Facebook page, which we are delighted with.
“This is very new idea, and we hope it will bring communities together worldwide.”
The app is free to download, and James is asking people to leave feedback on Borrow-It’s Facebook page, so any potential improvements can be made.
To celebrate Borrow-It’s launch, a competition is being run with in conjunction with the Deer Park Hotel in Honiton.
The winners will either win an overnight stay at the hotel or a Sunday lunch for four.
For more information, check out www.facebook.com/borrowitapp
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here