Today, Apple announced a new feature and service called “Apple Business Connect” that is designed to let businesses big and small or large and tiny to assert their place in Apple Maps, along with iMessage, Siri, and Wallet.
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, said this is a win for customers and businesses.
“We created Business Connect to provide Apple users around the world with the most accurate information for places to eat, shop, travel, and more,” he said. “Apple Business Connect gives every business owner the tools they need to connect with customers more directly, and take more control over the way billions of people see and engage with their products and services every day.”
With the release of Apple Business Connect, businesses will have the opportunity to “directly manage their information in the interactive Apple Maps place card, including adding and updating photos and logos; inviting customers to take actions like ordering food or making a reservation directly from Maps; and presenting customers with special promotions.”
Another feature of the service is it gives customers the ability to get easy access to information such as whether or not a business delivers with delivery services like Instacart.
Showcases is a feature Apple highlights with Business Connect too.
“Showcases, a new feature in the place card, helps businesses present customers with offers and incentives, like seasonal menu items, product discounts, and more. Businesses can easily update the Showcase section of their place card through Business Connect. Showcases are available to businesses in the US beginning today, and will be available to businesses globally in coming months.”
Businesses can either use an existing Apple ID or create a new one to get access and register for Apple Business Connect. After the user has logged in and Apple has verified the user and the account, the user can start adding and making modifications to their business through Business Connect, and all for free.
To learn more about this feature, please visit Apple Newsroom.
