American National Property and Casualty Co. is the latest Springfield company to launch an iPhone application, and classic-car enthusiasts are the intended market.
The app - unveiled Oct. 29 - shares its name with a line of specialty insurance products collectively known as CHROME, which stands for classic, hot rod, replica, original, modified and exotic vehicles. And iPhone users who download the app can access price guides for classic and antique automobiles, as well as a searchable database of upcoming car shows.
"Everything in the app is related to car shows," said Bernie Gerwel, ANPAC's chief information and innovation officer. "So when you're at a car show and you see a '65 Mustang Shelby, you're going to be able to pull up the price guide and get a good (Kelley) Blue Book value on it."
Gerwel said CEO Greg Ostergren was immediately receptive to the idea of an app aimed at classic-car lovers. The next step was developing an app that appealed to the niche audience and made sense in a mobile context, Gerwel noted.
"I think there's a temptation to make (an app) a commercial all about yourself," he said. "(The CHROME app) was really a subtle advertisement about American National, but the main purpose was to develop something useful for the (target) market."
ANPAC aligned with San Francisco-based mobile app developer ArcTouch after receiving proposals from eight companies and conducting follow-up interviews with the top three. ArcTouch began coding the app in late June, and the final product was available for download at Apple's App Store exactly 159 days later, Gerwel said.
Developers of iPhone apps pay an annual $99 registration fee to Apple, and the tech giant reviews proposed apps for appropriateness and technical compatibility. Companies that charge iPhone users to download their apps receive 70 percent of sales; Apple receives the remainder.
ANPAC charges $1.99 to download the CHROME app, and...
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