New mobile app helps the public know local businesses ‘insideOut’

An new smartphone app created to help local businesses attract and engage with more new customers in their local area is being launched.

South Lanarkshire Council is urging businesses operating in Strathaven, Bothwell, Douglas and Stonehouse to register for a free account on the new mobile app – called insideOut – so it can be launched in time for the important Christmas and New Year trading period.

insideOut is a free to access app that will give business owners the opportunity to promote themselves, reach new customers, offer rewards and promotions and build closer engagement with their local community in one easy to use, well-designed mobile app.

Registering a business for a free account with insideOut takes minutes and can be done from a mobile, PC or laptop by visiting www.insideoutapp.co.uk.

A key feature of this first version of insideOut will be a directory style virtual town centre, which will enable users to find out what shops, goods and services are available to them in their area and direct messaging functionality within the app will make it quick and easy to contact businesses to make orders and arrange deliveries.

The app has also been designed to support and promote the many different types of businesses and sole traders that operate across the region and the company building the app, Glasgow-based agency Stand in partnership with economic development leaders at South Lanarkshire Council, are also encouraging tradesmen, hotels, beauty therapists, cafes, fitness trainers, lawyers, restaurants, freelancers, accountants and anyone running their own enterprise all to support the app by registering their business details.

Community groups, special interest clubs, sports teams and local societies are also being urged to register their details on the app in order to enable insideOut to fully capture and promote the diversity of social activities and initiatives that are available in the area.

Once the insideOut app is live and downloaded to a mobile device, it will enable the individual user to ‘favourite’ the local businesses they engage with, which will, in turn, enable those businesses to stay in touch with customers to keep them fully updated on any offers, promotions or forthcoming special events.

The app will initially be launched to support businesses in Strathaven, Bothwell, Douglas and Stonehouse and business owners in those areas are now being asked to visit a dedicated website, register for a free account and enter details and images that can then be used to populate the insideOut app to ensure it goes live with comprehensive, up to date, reliable and relevant information for all users.

insideOut has been in development since early 2020 with the broader objective being to build improved awareness and engagement across towns, villages and communities to enable residents, community group leaders, local business owners and visitors to recognise and utilise what is available in South Lanarkshire.

Research prior to creating the app highlighted that a key factor impeding growth in many communities is simply that up to date and accurate information is often fragmented and hard to locate.

insideOut aims to become a one-stop-shop offering users a trusted central resource for reliable information.

The majority of content o will be user generated and created by the people who live and work in the community.

This first version is being launched early to focus on supporting businesses through the current challenging times, but the months ahead will see additional content added that will enable community groups, events, local attractions, landmarks, local nature and history trails to feature on the platform.

Maggie Croft, Stand managing director, said: “Being in a position to be able to launch insideOut earlier than planned will offer huge benefits for businesses owners.

“The long-term ambition for insideOut is that the app will become a central information point for everything going on in any town village or community in Scotland.

“If you need to know anything about your community, from where the local Scouts group meets to when the resident’s association AGM takes place, insideOut will be the place to go.

“However, in the short to medium term, if insideOut can support local businesses through these challenging times then it will have served a very important role in helping towns and communities survive the pandemic so they can thrive in the future.”