Each Veterans Day, the ACT | The App Association staff joins Americans across the country to give thanks to the veterans and active military who have and continue to serve our country every day. The United States currently has roughly 20.4 million veterans, in addition to the 1.3 million active-duty service men and women, who have served and sacrificed in different ways to uphold American values. This Veterans Day, we’re shining our Member Monday spotlight on Scout, an app designed to reward members of the military with a database of deals, discounts, and opportunities designed just for them as a reward for their service.
Established in Portland in 2014, Scout Military is an app company led by Rob Coons and Michael Williams that seeks to recognize military service by providing tangible rewards in civilian life. To give the Scout app users a rich and meaningful experience, Rob and Michael partner with local organizations and companies—from established chains to small mom-and-pop shops—to gather and advertise all military-related discounts and deals in their local community. Participating is easy—companies can list their discounts for free via the Scout app, or the Scout Military website. The app provides a one-stop shop for veterans, military, and their families to identify the restaurants, stores, and service providers that offer discounts for military service, enabling them to save hundreds of dollars per year. The Scout app also serves as a communication platform for military-focused non-profit organizations like the United Service Organizations (USO) and Bunker Labs. These groups can use the app to provide event notifications, share fundraiser opportunities and updates, and keep users informed of military and veteran-related opportunities in their area.
Ahead of Veterans Day, the Scout Military team rolled out a redesigned app and expanded their reach to Seattle, to better serve Washington state’s 593,000 veterans and the growing active military presence at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Following months of crowd-sourcing local deals, the app has new offerings and new features, including one that utilizes location services to send users push notifications whenever they enter a participating store, ensuring they never miss a reward opportunity.
Scout Military has also done extensive research to cater to the preferences and concerns of the military community. Recognizing the vital importance of data privacy for all users, and particularly for active members of the military and their families, the team uses strong data encryption tools to keep users’ information and location data encrypted, secure, and confidential. Their team also actively advocates for policies and initiatives that support rural broadband build-out, which would enable veterans in remote and rural parts of the country to access and utilize the discounts and deals in their districts. We are proud of the work Scout Military continues to do on behalf of veterans, active duty military, and their families. The discounts, deals, and rewards the Scout app provide are a small, but important, symbol of gratitude for the many sacrifices our veteran and military community have made. This Member Monday, we’re thankful to highlight our member that is working hard to serve those dedicated to serving our country.
To learn more about Scout Military, please click here.