Siobhan Squires came up with the idea for Oasis after working in hospitality for over a decade. Photo \/ Bijou Johnson<\/p>\n
The name Oasis came from a leisure and community centre in her home town, Swindon, in the United Kingdom. <\/p>\n
She moved to New Zealand nine years ago, after a year living in Australia.<\/p>\n
Squires said the name also referred to a fertile place in the desert \u2013 a place you go to for water and sustenance. The Oasis app was \u201cthe place to go to for deals\u201d.<\/p>\n
When it came to launching a new business, she said she took her dad\u2019s advice to \u201cgo for it\u201d.<\/p>\n
He told her, \u201cIf you don\u2019t, you\u2019re always going to ask \u2018what if\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the ghost of missed opportunities could haunt her, Squires decided to take the leap in November last year.<\/p>\n
Her hospitality experience gave her a \u201cgood idea of what people want and need, and how that has changed after Covid-19\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cPlaces are really struggling, so this is my way of making everything better for people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople aren\u2019t going out. They\u2019re getting used to staying at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cBusinesses have less margin to discount their products to attract customers.\u201d<\/p>\n
RNZ reported this year that 2564 hospitality businesses had closed<\/a> in the previous 12 months.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s easier to stay home, order a pizza and hang out with flatmates, than going to a bar and meeting new people,\u201d Squires said.<\/p>\n She identified a gap in the industry that her app could fill.<\/p>\n \u201cThe app will spice up summer here.\u201d<\/p>\n She asked herself, \u201cHow can I make a customer buy a burger from an independently owned company as opposed to McDonald\u2019s or Burger King?\u201d<\/p>\n Businesses would have the option to add a discount, but they could also serve full-price items and reward users with a badge. <\/p>\n Users collect badges, then sell them for points \u2013 the in-app currency \u2013 and redeem those points for rewards such as a cinema ticket or donate them to Bay Conservation Alliance.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re going out anyway to get a coffee, so you can use the app at your local coffee shop.<\/p>\n Squires said the app would introduce customers to new venues. <\/p>\n \u201cPeople go to a bar for the cocktail, then explore the food menu. The app is opening up visibility into businesses that people may not have had access to before.\u201d<\/p>\n Each month, the app would have a different theme.<\/p>\n The Taco Titan badge would be available in January or February, with establishments presenting their twist on a taco for customers to try.<\/p>\n A coffee month was also in the works.<\/p>\n Squires has set her sights high with future plans, including potential expansion to Tauranga and P\u0101p\u0101moa, then Wellington, Auckland, Queenstown and, one day, Australia.<\/p>\n \u201cI want the app to be national. It\u2019s a way for tourists to accumulate points as they travel New Zealand.\u201d<\/p>\n Squires said she wanted to unite the hospitality industry through Oasis.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to build a community around hospitality. People have stopped connecting with each other. How many times do people go to a cafe, but when do you actually spend time hanging out with the people who work there?\u201d<\/p>\n She said she wanted to bring residents and hospitality workers together with the Oasis launch event on November 30.<\/p>\n Find more information here<\/a>.<\/p>\nOasis founder Siobhan Squires making a cocktail at Fox’s Hawker House & Garden. Photo \/ Bijou Johnson<\/p>\n