A budding entrepreneur has created an new app designed to make it easier for businesses to reach potential clients on social media and the world wide web.
John Whitbread said he created Spotted:App to change the way that local businesses can reach their customers – without relying on faceless artificial intelligence to guesstimate what people are looking for.
And he has put everything on the line to make it work – putting 13 months into developing the idea and even selling his home to invest in the business.
John was running a Facebook spotted group in north west Leicestershire when he noticed how algorithms were playing too big a role guessing what people wanted when they searched for local businesses – often restricting, rather than broadening the options being made available.
He said people posting about their services or asking for recommendations, often only saw a proportion of the options available because of the way the answers were predicted.
John was determined to create something better, that could impartially link businesses and consumers.
He said the Spotted:App – which already has around thousand users just weeks after it was launched – is free to download and search on.
It costs 99p a month for businesses to be listed, following a free two month introductory period.
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John said it was designed to be accessible for all businesses, especially ones struggling with time and with limited marketing budgets.
He said it was easy to use for the consumer as well – when they require a job completing, they simply search for what they’re looking for and the app will bring up a list of who provides that service in their area.
John said: “It’s the simplicity of its use that I’ve been mindful of since day one.
“I realised that algorithms on certain websites and apps are making decisions on behalf of the customer, showing them what it thinks they want to see, rather than showing all options available, meaning they are less likely to make a well-informed decision.
“The Spotted:App provides all options available to a customer without any algorithms, or adverts being biased to the top, giving them the ability to find the right business for their job.
“It’s only through having all the options available that we can really make educated decisions, so I wanted to create that very thing. I wanted to link businesses and customers with technology aiding the process, rather than hindering it.
“Just because a small business doesn’t have a large marketing budget, it shouldn’t mean that they fall into the shadows.
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“It has been an interesting 12 months, as well as a steep learning curve, but I’m really proud of what I’ve created.
“We have already had over 850 people downloading and using the app in the first month of launch alone, and this is just the beginning.”