Visit Horsham website goes mobile

A new app means the town’s leading business directory, local offers and news from The Resident are available on the go.

Since it was created, the Visit Horsham website has been at the forefront of online technology and has used it to bring people in Horsham the latest news and information.

The site was the first to provide aerial photography of the district, the first to feed live parking space information for the town centre and is believed to be the first site to include the option to send a ‘like’ to Facebook from an external website. And now, Visit Horsham has launched its own app, which Android users can download from today, Friday.

The app means people with Android devices will be able to view offers from companies around the town as well as the website’s business directory and news from The Resident while on the go, using their mobile device.

Visit Horsham’s owner, Gavin Hewins, said: “This app will provide a really valuable resource for people living in or visiting Horsham as well as the businesses which operate here. The technology we’ve used means it will provide up-to-date, useful information for users, at the touch of a button.”

The directory function on the app uses the information from Visit Horsham’s website, meaning it is continually updated by the businesses listed. It also uses groundbreaking technology, called ‘Crowdsource’, which gives users the facility to inform Visit Horsham when information is incorrect and in need of updating. All of which is helping to ensure that the new application is as current and useful as possible.

From the directory, users can also link to maps and locations for a particular business or vendor, making it easier to find the services they want.

The offers section of the app will mean users can take advantage of promotions posted by local shops, restaurants and other businesses.

It is something that Dominic Wakefield, from Wakefields jewellers believes is an exciting development for the town. He said: “I’ve seen the app and think it’s fantastic. Anything that promotes the town and makes it easier for people to navigate around can only be a good thing. It’s great that Visit Horsham seems to be so advanced when it comes to implementing technology like this”.

Dominic also believes there are benefits for businesses as well as users. He told The Resident: “It’s an exciting opportunity for local companies and retail outlets to push information to people that actually want it. It has so much potential”.

The news function of the app will provide live feeds from The Resident’s website, with all the latest local news, business, entertainment and sport. So people who download it can find out what’s going on, wherever they are.

The app can be downloaded for free from Android Market, the online store for Android mobile applications. Any businesses that are registered with the website, or would like to be in future, will be featured on the app automatically.

The development of the new app is a significant milestone for the Visit Horsham website. But it is just the beginning according to Gavin. He said: “We are continually working on the application to make sure people can get the most out of it. The next phase will be to introduce a search function and in the future we hope to provide other services such as a booking and ordering facility and event information. We are also open to suggestions from users and businesses, which has helped us develop the service in the past”.

Gavin added that the site has always been one that has grown as a result of input from the community and that the philosophy behind the app is the same. “The content on Visit Horsham has always been led by what the public finds most useful and what businesses provide. The app is the same. I hope that people find it equally as helpful, informative and entertaining”, he said.

Visit Horsham is the premier online resource for everything you need to know about the town. Since it was introduced, the site has responded to changes in the market place and consumer demand. The site was the first in the area to persuade West Sussex County Council to allow it to use the live data about Horsham’s car parking spaces, following the backing of Francis Maude.

It has a comprehensive list of contents including what’s on guides, property, tourist, crime and business information as well as up-to-the-minute news, supplied by The Resident.

The site gets an average of 120,000 views per month and also operates a popular and interactive Facebook page. For more information visit www.visithorsham.co.uk

Download the app here: http://bit.ly/jUWUL7 or search for ‘Horsham’ on the Android market