The LBMAO Directory App is Almost Here!

The LBMAO is pleased to announce the rollout of their new app to replace their annual printed directory.  For years the LBMAO directory has been an invaluable tool for members, sales representatives and other key industry players for searching out retailers throughout the province, as well as sourcing products for retailers. 

Earlier this year, the board of directors commissioned the search for a developer to produce an app to replace the current printed directory. We determined that the app directory would need to be customized to meet the needs of our members; and the amount of data that we have in the directory that will have to be transferred to the app such as products, contacts, locations, etc. is not feasible for a standard app platform that uses a cookie cutter base format.  Therefore, a customized app has been developed for us by Apps Canada, a developer based in British Columbia.

The advantages of moving the printed directory to an app are:

• The app is downloaded onto your mobile device - either Android or Apple - so you don’t have to rely on finding that hard copy directory somewhere in your car or office. It's with you wherever you go!
• The hard copy directory is out of date as soon as it is printed. The app is updated on an ongoing basis, so is more up-to-date.
• It is a private app and only accessed by an individualized code that is issued to each member upon renewal of their membership. Additional codes can be purchased for sales representatives or other staff members.
• Search engines are incorporated into the app to look up companies, contacts and products while Google Maps will pinpoint company locations for navigation.
• Each member business listed in the app directory will have a link to their website so they can promote their products and services.
• Exciting new digital advertising opportunities will be available to member suppliers.
• Retailers can search for products and services while suppliers will be able to use the app directory to search by name, company or location for customer information.

The one consideration of the digital app format is that it is designed for mobile devices, so it cannot be downloaded onto your desktop computer.  It can only be accessed by downloading it from the Android Store or App Store onto your phone or tablet.

We are just finishing up the test stage of the app before making it available to members. We would normally have our hard copy out by late June but the development of this extensive app has taken longer than anticipated due to the large amount of data and to ensure robust search capabilities. We expect it to be available in late fall.

Once our members have had an opportunity to use the app directory, we are confident they will find it to be much more efficient and useful than the printed version.  We see the app becoming an invaluable tool for sales personnel to navigate to retailers and for retailers to be able to source their products.

For more information, please contact:

Dave Campbell, LBMAO President
dwcampbell@lbmao.on.ca
(905) 625-1084