App Express Launches at SXSW, Bringing the Power of Affordable Mobile Apps to Small Businesses
Poster: SySAdmin
Posted on March 12, 2012 at 1:07:01 AM
App Express Launches at SXSW, Bringing the Power of Affordable Mobile Apps to Small Businesses
Self-serve app builder creates professional, sophisticated apps that solve the hard problems for SMBs, such as payments, appointment scheduling, couponing and messaging.
AUSTIN, Texas, March 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- App Express, the affordable, do-it-yourself app builder for small and medium-sized businesses, launches today at SXSW, making it fast, easy and cost-effective for SMBs to engage customers and grow their businesses with powerful mobile apps. The robust features of App Express uniquely solve the hard business problems for SMBs, such as payments, appointment scheduling, messaging and marketing with coupons, deals and social sharing.
There is a growing opportunity for SMBs to build customer loyalty with local mobile consumers. According to a recent study conducted by comScore, 49 percent of smartphone and tablet owners are using apps to find local information.
"More than ever, consumers are using their smartphones and tablets to make purchasing decisions within a 10- to 20-mile radius of their location," said Mary Beth Brendza, chief executive officer, App Express. "Until now, cost and complexity have all but locked SMBs out of the mobile app marketplace. Priced for the small-business wallet, App Express levels the mobile app playing field for SMBs, enabling them to be where their customers are looking, increase operational efficiencies, and leverage their local edge to compete with national and Internet businesses. App Express allows SMBs to run their business from their pocket."
Importantly, App Express enables SMBs to open a direct channel of communication with customers, eliminating digital marketing intermediaries, like deals and review sites, to help them build customer loyalty with social networking, coupons, email and rich content like photos and video.
App Express features include:
-- Appointment scheduling -- display availability and schedule appointments
-- Payments -- invoice and receive payments on the go
-- Messaging -- connect with customers in real time
-- Sharing -- share app with friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter.
Engage users to "follow" your business on Twitter and "like" your
business on Facebook
-- Deals -- engage customers with loyalty and couponing system
-- Information -- provide essential contact information and menu of
services
-- One-page, mobile-optimized website -- the most important "on-the-go"
contact information to promote app discovery by directing the user to
download the app
-- For iOS and Android platforms
"App Express offers an impressive array of capabilities," said Greg Sterling, senior analyst and program director, Internet2Go, Opus Research. "The combination of scheduling, social features, payments and self-generated deals makes it a kind of one-stop shop to mobilize small businesses."
Types of businesses that can benefit from an App Express app:
-- Service-based businesses (e.g., doctors, dentists, real estate brokers,
music instructors, auto service providers, etc.) attract on-the-go
customers with appointment-setting, payments, deals and in-app
messaging.
-- Location-based services (e.g., auto towing, locksmiths, taxi services,
delivery services and other businesses that come to a customer's
location) benefit from in-app messaging that allows users to send a
message pinpointing their location on a map.
-- High-value vertical industry businesses (e.g., attorneys, accountants,
insurance agents and employment recruiters) appreciate App Express'
sophisticated apps for maintaining a professional image and ensuring
they are everywhere their customers are looking.
-- Retailers (e.g., grocery stores, department stores, hardware stores,
auto supply stores, furniture and appliance retailers, etc.) list
products and services that can be purchased using a customer's phone and
picked up at the store, giving the business a local edge over Internet
retailers.
Additional features are planned for future releases of App Express, including HTML5-based web apps and a location-based feature for finding App Express business apps in a consumer's local area.
App Express is available direct to SMBs at http://www.AppExpress.com or through a network of resellers and white-label providers, including SMB media and marketing service providers such as User Friendly Media. Delivered through an App Express partner, the self-serve platform becomes a nearly hands-free experience for the SMB, resulting in fast and easy execution.
Attendees of this week's SXSW event in Austin, Texas are invited to visit App Express in booth #1343 to learn firsthand about the platform's features, functionality and partnering opportunities.
About App Express (http://www.AppExpress.com)
App Express was founded in 2011 by a team of tech-savvy small-business experts to bring the power of mobile apps to small and medium-sized businesses. The company's affordable, do-it-yourself mobile app building solution quickly and easily creates professional, sophisticated apps that solve the hard problems SMBs encounter, such as payments, scheduling, couponing/deals and messaging. Mobile apps from App Express enable SMBs to open a direct channel of communication with customers to build loyalty, increase efficiency and grow their businesses. App Express is available direct to SMBs at http://www.AppExpress.com or through a network of resellers and white-label providers. The start-up is backed by $3 million in funding from Veronis Suhler Stevenson through VSS portfolio company User Friendly Media.
SOURCE App Express
App Express
CONTACT: Eileen Pacheco, +1-508-888-7478, eileen@tango-group.com
Web Site: http://www.AppExpress.com
Self-serve app builder creates professional, sophisticated apps that solve the hard problems for SMBs, such as payments, appointment scheduling, couponing and messaging.
AUSTIN, Texas, March 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- App Express, the affordable, do-it-yourself app builder for small and medium-sized businesses, launches today at SXSW, making it fast, easy and cost-effective for SMBs to engage customers and grow their businesses with powerful mobile apps. The robust features of App Express uniquely solve the hard business problems for SMBs, such as payments, appointment scheduling, messaging and marketing with coupons, deals and social sharing.
There is a growing opportunity for SMBs to build customer loyalty with local mobile consumers. According to a recent study conducted by comScore, 49 percent of smartphone and tablet owners are using apps to find local information.
"More than ever, consumers are using their smartphones and tablets to make purchasing decisions within a 10- to 20-mile radius of their location," said Mary Beth Brendza, chief executive officer, App Express. "Until now, cost and complexity have all but locked SMBs out of the mobile app marketplace. Priced for the small-business wallet, App Express levels the mobile app playing field for SMBs, enabling them to be where their customers are looking, increase operational efficiencies, and leverage their local edge to compete with national and Internet businesses. App Express allows SMBs to run their business from their pocket."
Importantly, App Express enables SMBs to open a direct channel of communication with customers, eliminating digital marketing intermediaries, like deals and review sites, to help them build customer loyalty with social networking, coupons, email and rich content like photos and video.
App Express features include:
-- Appointment scheduling -- display availability and schedule appointments
-- Payments -- invoice and receive payments on the go
-- Messaging -- connect with customers in real time
-- Sharing -- share app with friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter.
Engage users to "follow" your business on Twitter and "like" your
business on Facebook
-- Deals -- engage customers with loyalty and couponing system
-- Information -- provide essential contact information and menu of
services
-- One-page, mobile-optimized website -- the most important "on-the-go"
contact information to promote app discovery by directing the user to
download the app
-- For iOS and Android platforms
"App Express offers an impressive array of capabilities," said Greg Sterling, senior analyst and program director, Internet2Go, Opus Research. "The combination of scheduling, social features, payments and self-generated deals makes it a kind of one-stop shop to mobilize small businesses."
Types of businesses that can benefit from an App Express app:
-- Service-based businesses (e.g., doctors, dentists, real estate brokers,
music instructors, auto service providers, etc.) attract on-the-go
customers with appointment-setting, payments, deals and in-app
messaging.
-- Location-based services (e.g., auto towing, locksmiths, taxi services,
delivery services and other businesses that come to a customer's
location) benefit from in-app messaging that allows users to send a
message pinpointing their location on a map.
-- High-value vertical industry businesses (e.g., attorneys, accountants,
insurance agents and employment recruiters) appreciate App Express'
sophisticated apps for maintaining a professional image and ensuring
they are everywhere their customers are looking.
-- Retailers (e.g., grocery stores, department stores, hardware stores,
auto supply stores, furniture and appliance retailers, etc.) list
products and services that can be purchased using a customer's phone and
picked up at the store, giving the business a local edge over Internet
retailers.
Additional features are planned for future releases of App Express, including HTML5-based web apps and a location-based feature for finding App Express business apps in a consumer's local area.
App Express is available direct to SMBs at http://www.AppExpress.com or through a network of resellers and white-label providers, including SMB media and marketing service providers such as User Friendly Media. Delivered through an App Express partner, the self-serve platform becomes a nearly hands-free experience for the SMB, resulting in fast and easy execution.
Attendees of this week's SXSW event in Austin, Texas are invited to visit App Express in booth #1343 to learn firsthand about the platform's features, functionality and partnering opportunities.
About App Express (http://www.AppExpress.com)
App Express was founded in 2011 by a team of tech-savvy small-business experts to bring the power of mobile apps to small and medium-sized businesses. The company's affordable, do-it-yourself mobile app building solution quickly and easily creates professional, sophisticated apps that solve the hard problems SMBs encounter, such as payments, scheduling, couponing/deals and messaging. Mobile apps from App Express enable SMBs to open a direct channel of communication with customers to build loyalty, increase efficiency and grow their businesses. App Express is available direct to SMBs at http://www.AppExpress.com or through a network of resellers and white-label providers. The start-up is backed by $3 million in funding from Veronis Suhler Stevenson through VSS portfolio company User Friendly Media.
SOURCE App Express
App Express
CONTACT: Eileen Pacheco, +1-508-888-7478, eileen@tango-group.com
Web Site: http://www.AppExpress.com