Nightlife application connects students with local businesses

A UNA alumnus recently released a new website and mobile app that notifies students and community members about nightlife entertainment and deals by partnering with companies in the Shoals community. UNA alumnus Kyle Cornelius and his current roommate Esco Satchfield have become entrepreneurs by creating the website and mobile app, Dealz After Dark.

The nightlife application partners with businesses like On The Rocks, FloBama, Swampers, the Rattlesnake Saloon and the End Theatre. The most current deals within a 15-mile radius of one’s phone are displayed when an area code is searched for, Cornelius said. An array of nightlife entertainment from bar specials to poetry readings can be found on the application.

The first target demographic of Dealz After Dark is college students because Cornelius and Satchfield thought that those would be the people who would get the most immediate use out of it, Cornelius said.

While other applications contain biased reviews that reflect badly on businesses, Dealz After Dark is strictly fact-based, Cornelius said.

“We just wanted it to be about people who want to have fun, want to go see a show and get cheap drinks or go to some kind of sporting event,” Cornelius said.

Because anyone can create a Dealz After Dark profile and download the app for free, Cornelius and Satchfield make a profit from the amount of traffic the site and app generates. Although the app will always be available for free, advertising or “premium placing” will eventually become an option, Cornelius said.

“It’s always going to be free to be on the app… but if you want your business to be featured most prominently, you’d pay a little something extra,” Cornelius said. “We are a lot more concerned with people having a good time than we are about making a million dollars.”

UNA Student Government Association President Laura Giles said she feels the recently released app has the potential to enhance the college experience of many at UNA, depending on the amount of advertising catered to the student body.

“We wish for all students to get involved not only with UNA but within the community as well,” Giles said. “This will help get our students off campus and involved in new ways.”

Miriam Wilson, an 18-year-old UNA student, said she had not previously heard of the app but predicts that its future success among UNA students will not remain stagnant.

“I think many UNA students are interested in supporting and attending local shows and events,” she said. “The app creates an easier way to find out about what is happening, so I imagine the app will be quite successful if local businesses and venues will keep their information updated.”

The first target demographic of Dealz After Dark is college students because he and Satchfield “thought that those would be the people who would get the most immediate use out of it,” Cornelius said.

Wilson thinks Dealz After Dark would receive a more positive response from UNA students if the app also advertised campus events in addition to company-sponsored events, she said.

“I would like Dealz After Dark to also focus on events RSOs are hosting and special campus activities,” Wilson said. “Sometimes we won’t hear about something until after it happens because of not enough publicity or information. Checking a phone is a lot easier than finding a person who knows about an event we might be interested in.”

Dealz After Dark is currently available for use in the Shoals area and in Starkville and Oxford, Miss.

For more information visit dealzafterdark.com.