Williams-Sonoma launches first mobile app
Williams-Sonoma is looking to appeal to its increasingly digital savvy customers with the launch of a free recipe tool for smartphones.
The retailer, in collaboration with Weldon Owen Publishing, a division of Bonnier Corp., and Culinate Inc., has released the Williams-Sonoma Recipe of the Day app on Apple's App Store.
"Chuck Williams, our founder, contributed to more than 100 cookbooks over the last three decades, and our new app will help share his passion and knowledge of cooking with a new generation of Williams-Sonoma fans," said Williams-Sonoma President Janet Hayes.
The app delivers a seasonally appropriate recipe every day of the year, from a selection of Williams-Sonoma's starters, salads, sides, soups, main dishes, and desserts. The app's built-in search tools allow users to filter recipes based on course, season, technique, ingredient, or dietary preference (vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free). A recently released iPad version of the application has been consistently featured by Apple as a "Best New App" and it has remained in the top 10 of most popular applications in the Food & Drink category.
The William-Sonoma Recipe of the Day app's highlights include:
Recipe inspiration for every day of the year
An easy-to-use search function allowing users to narrow searches by key ingredient, type of dish, cooking technique, and more
Simple-to-use, smart shopping lists
Color photographs
Custom timers
A favorites feature that keeps track of your favorite recipes
All-inclusive functionality; no internet connection required (except for occasional subscription content updates)
Williams-Sonoma Recipe of the Day offers monthly or annual subscriptions. The base app, which is free to download from the App Store, includes a month's worth of recipes to give a sampling of what is available for subscribers. The recipes are organized using convenient calendar layouts that allow users to find the most recent recipes as well as browse previous recipes.Recipe of the Day aims to become the go-to app for home cooks seeking an answer to the perennial question, "What's for dinner tonight?"
Jennifer Newens, associate publisher of Weldon Owen, said: "The first Williams-Sonoma branded recipe app, Recipe of the Day, will not only resonate with readers familiar with the Williams-Sonoma branded cookbooks, but also with a new, digital-savvy audience who has yet to discover Williams-Sonoma recipes."
Williams-Sonoma operates more than 560 retail stores.