User Friendly Media Acquires App Express
User Friendly Media has acquired App Express, a mobile app builder for SMB’s. The two companies have had a reseller partnership since March, and the App Express mobile platform will now be available to all of UFM’s SMB customers.
UFM’s CEO Bruce Howard said: “The ability to leverage UFM’s SMB knowledge combined with App Express’ mobile technology makes it a perfect fit.” The company hopes that through this acquisition they will be able to create more connection between local and mobile commerce.
Mobile app development has been touted as a way that SMBs could potentially engage with their consumers more directly and efficiently. This is exactly what App Express will achieve, founder Mary Beth Brendza told Street Fight: “App Express allows SMBs to go direct to their customers, providing a more engaging communication channel which encourages loyalty and repeat business beyond a simple mobile website,” Brendza said. “A customer is only two taps away from scheduling an appointment, sending a message, paying an invoice, calling or getting directions.”
Brendza said that App Express is tailored specifically to the needs to SMBs and will work to make mobile more prominent on a local scale. Brendza said that the app will allow SMBs to “engage with their customers through deals and couponing, messaging, easily accessible contact information, and the ability to share on social networks.” It will also allow contain features such as appointment scheduling and payments, and will hopefully provide an intuitive and simple experience for both the user and the business behind it.
Brendza said that mobile platforms like App Express are of huge importance for SMBs, as they try to stay ahead in a world where commerce is taking more advantage of mobile devices: “Over 40% of all Google searches on mobile devices are for local information and comScore reports that smartphone users spend four out of five mobile browsing minutes in app,” she said. “SMBs need to make sure they are where people are searching for local business information. “
Isa Jones is an editorial assistant at Street Fight.