TABLE OF CONTENT

About the Client

101 Islands LLC is a U.S.-based travel and tourism platform that enhances travel experiences through high-definition videos, itineraries, and exotic products. Their mobile app, Grotu, revolutionizes group travel planning with a patented approach that saves time and money. The platform allows users to organize trips, manage expenses, and collaborate seamlessly. 101 Islands aimed to simplify travel coordination through technology and sought a robust, scalable, and intuitive solution to bring their innovative concept to life.

Business Situation

Complex Group Travel Planning: Needed an easy-to-use system for managing trips and events.
Scalability Issues: Required a robust backend to handle growing user demand.
High Development Costs: Needed an efficient cross-platform solution to reduce expenses.
Data Storage & Security: Managing large amounts of high-resolution travel content was crucial.
Monetization Strategy: Required a sustainable revenue model through in-app purchases and ads.
Time-to-Market: The app needed rapid development and deployment to stay competitive.

The Solution

Unthinkable collaborated with 101 Islands through in-depth strategy sessions, defining workflows and refining the user journey. A cross-platform approach using React Native was chosen to reduce development costs and ensure seamless performance on both iOS and Android. Drupal powered the backend, ensuring scalability and flexibility. AWS S3 was integrated to store and optimize high-resolution images securely.

Group Travel Planning: Users could create and manage trips collaboratively.
Event Coordination: Tools for potlucks, parties, and itinerary planning were built-in.
Expense Management: Automated reports helped users track shared costs.
Cloud Storage: AWS S3 ensured secure, high-speed image hosting.
Monetization Model: Integrated Google AdMob for revenue generation.
Cross-Platform Development: React Native reduced costs by 40% and improved efficiency.

The Impact

The Grotu app launched successfully, receiving praise from the travel community for its innovative trip management features. More than 200 travel businesses joined the platform, serving over 10,000 users within months. By leveraging React Native, development and maintenance costs were reduced by 40%, ensuring a cost-effective and scalable solution. AWS integration optimized performance and reduced operational costs, while AdMob generated a new revenue stream.

Conclusion

101 Islands’ vision was successfully brought to life, positioning them as a leader in group travel planning. The app’s US patent further validated its uniqueness, setting it apart from competitors. Moving forward, Unthinkable continues to collaborate with 101 Islands to enhance features and expand the platform’s reach, ensuring long-term success in the travel-tech industry.