App helps track down perfect gift

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RIT Student launches Spoil Me! Shopping app

The Spoil Me! app makes shopping easy. All you need to do is download it to your iPhone and you can send your wish list to all your friends and family on Facebook.

And that’s not all; the interactive app also offers other suggestions for the buyer. Want a scarf from Anthropologie? The intuitive Spoil Me! app will show you a similar scarf from Etsy, a leather tote by Ralph Lauren, a bangle bracelet from Tiffany and Co., or UGG boots from Amazon.

“People can use Spoil Me! as a gift registry for any occasion,” says Joseph Peters, co-founder of Iterative Ideas who graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a degree in engineering in 2009. “It works in any store, it’s free, and it’s a fun way to share on your iPhone what you want with those you love. And you can share your list through social media with friends and family on Facebook.”

The initial beta version of Spoil Me! went live on the App Store Sept. 12, but the 2.0 version was launched on Dec. 5 and offers services that Facebook users have come to expect—including a stream that contains all friend activities as well as the ability to “like” and comment on any listed items within the app.

“The idea came to me because I’ve always struggled with what to buy my girlfriend for her birthday, Christmas or our anniversary,” Peters says. “It’s a common problem, and I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be easier if there was a service that was the go-to place to find out exactly what people want?’ ”

Richard DeMartino, director of RIT’s Simone Center for Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship, has been working with Peters on his startup venture. “Joe did his co-op at Apple while earning his engineering degree, went back to work there in product marketing and developed a passion for working on various apps. He came back to RIT to finish his MBA and he’s been very successful with Spoil Me! because it’s social and intuitive but it’s also viral, which means it can tap into non-traditional ways of reaching a consumer base.”

According to Peters, Spoil Me! was launched in July with the help of his partners Marc-Andre Dumas, co-founder and developer, and Hannah Peckham, designer. The team plans to expand the service beyond Facebook and iPhone with an Android version to be developed over the next few months.

“We also want to offer people other ways of logging on and we are looking at Twitter or a special Spoil Me! account,” explains Peters. “The one thing people are most concerned about while using Facebook is privacy, and with this app, you have complete control over who sees your list.

“Spoil Me! lets your friends know they’ve been ‘spoiled,’ but never who bought what. And we won’t tell; I promise.”