Awesome South Africa app wants to promote local businesses

Awesome South Africa is a new app available for iOS and Android devices that aims to promote products, services and establishments across the country. It’s sort of like having the Yellow Pages in your pocket, with a couple added features.

One such feature is the ability for vendors and merchants to communicate their specials, promotions, news and events to a broad range of people looking for different services.

Users can also narrow their search by looking exclusively for a service or product located within a 500km radius — which would be good for tourists. Furthermore, they can engage with the shop’s front desk via chat, which means they can make reservations and the like.

The main aim behind the business directory app is “saving vendors money, making sure they can actively engage with the audience out there and getting increasing their profits,” the developer behind the app, Brandon Wilson, says in an email.

“The whole Awesome South Africa concept is based on subscription only and not a parasitic model whereby we take commission from every booking, that is not what we about at all,” he says.

The Awesome South Africa team is able to upload specials, promotions, news and events using a control panel, which is uploaded to the platform in real-time, easily promoting ideas based on demand. Companies that want to add specific promotions and specials will have to cough up an annual cost of R900.

The success behind lead generation platforms such as these depends on the amount of traction it manages to get, in order to make companies’ promotion worth their while.

“We hoping for people to catch on and to use this proudly South Africa mobile application. After all its built too see to the South African needs either way for both owners of businesses and for users as the go to tool for everything needed,” Wilson said. “Looking to reach the 50 000 to 100 000 download mark for the app and for SA businesses to use it all the time to engage with consumers.”

In the meantime, client vendors and merchants are encouraged to place promotional tent cards at their front desk or reception area which feature a QR code, directing customers to the Awesome South Africa app.

Wilson adds that, as a South African, he wanted to be a part of the on-going solution in assisting businesses that do not have access to the big budgets available to the big players.