A few weeks ago, I lost my house keys, my bicycle lock key, the whole bunch, all hanging from a steel ring on green cotton loop. I went to the police station. They had a thousand keys in big drawers, one for each month, going back a year. It was a real lucky dip but mine were not there.
You can imagine my frustration at being so careless. So the next thing I did was to check if I could secure the new bunch with a gadget that would stop fools like me from losing another set.
There really was not much competition on the net, but the best reviews and smallest gadget was a iStubb™ 2. It’s a new product that you clip to your wallet or bunch of keys. You download their app from www.istubb.com and there it is on the map.
The iStubb, is from a small Helsinki based startup called JimiQ. The product is smart and effective. I can’t fathom that out how they did it with just 3 people working there, but this is typical with young Nordic start-ups! They launched iStubb 1 in January 2015 and now iStubb 2 Smart Finder in January 2016.
IStubb 2 Smart Finder is based on iBeacon technology. Basically the iStubb interacts with your smartphone using very little power so battery life is 1 year. The iBeacon works on Apple and Android devices – when it senses an iBeacon network the phone can receive messages. That way your smartphone knows where your keys are when attached to the key ring. Google maps shows the last location of your lost keys, that is so long as nobody has found and moved them. I tested it several times and it really works. The alarms are loud and clear.
The company is fully self-funded and last year they sold 90% in Finland. They have now signed distribution agreements for USA, Poland, Spain and Australia, and are selling in all European Amazon Stores. 75% of all new orders are from UK, Germany and USA.
Their best marketing channel is https://www.instagram.com/istubb_smart_finder/ because it is a great social channel for brand building and an amazing worldwide source of contacts.
They are coming up with a Smart Home Kit because over 70% of customers buy more than 2 pieces. They can see the need for software features like Smart Home Zone which enables connections to the home WIFI. The Smart Home Kit will contain 4 iStubb 3:s is likely to launched in January 2017.
So let’s keep watching this company and this product. I must say I love having my keys “locked” onto to my smartphone – it gives me that extra sense of security, without a bulge in my pocket. Another thing is that I can find my phone by pressing the iStubb button. It wakes up my phone that is hiding under 2 cushions on the sofa!
