- A new app hopes to provide a lifeline for local shopping centres and high streets affected by a COVID-19 induced shift to online shopping
- The free Streets of OurTowns app aims to encourage users “think like a local” by combining a company directory with a grassroots event guide
- The company is using an online equity crowdfunding campaign on Birchal to raise funds with plans to expand nationally
- Listings on the app are free but event promoters, local governments and businesses can pay for ‘premium listings’
The Western Australian based creators of a new app hope to breathe some life into high streets and local shopping centres that have been impacted by COVID-19 restrictions and a shift to online shopping.
The free Streets of OurTowns app, which has now been formally released to investors, aims to encourage users “think like a local” by combining a company directory with a grassroots event guide.
“The decline of our cherished local high streets and the increase in commercial property vacancy rates in once-thriving suburbs is having a very real and negative impact on our communities,” OurTowns managing director Marc Drexel said.
“The OurTowns app is like Gumtree for businesses and community groups, and is all about helping connect people with the places they want to spend time in, so we can enjoy bustling, vibrant communities.”
The app, which has been trialled in the City of Vincent, can now be downloaded to find out what’s going on and what services are available in areas such as Leederville, Mount Hawthorn, North Perth, West Perth and portions of Mount Lawley.
The company is using an online equity crowdfunding campaign on Birchal, with Mr Drexel likening it to an off-market listing vehicle. He hopes to raise funds to develop foundations to expand nationally, with plans to float in five years time.
Mr Drexel said keeping high streets thriving was also about keeping local people in local jobs. He believes investors will be keen to support the app as a contribution to the community, as well as an investment.
While listings on the app are free, event promoters, local governments and businesses can pay for ‘premium listings’ that will provide elevated exposure and access to push notifications, which are opt-in for users.
Mr Drexel said local governments could select packages to present themselves to the community.
“While protecting users’ privacy, the app will also generate important information giving local businesses and groups insights into who their key markets are – and often this is the critical missing piece of the puzzle for success,” he explained.
Mr Drexel said the app aimed to cut through the noise and fragmentation of the current marketplace which is dominated by large social media companies such as Facebook.
“Communities by nature are very fragmented, because of that, it is very hard to get one platform that allows people to connect,” he said.
“The community isn’t just the hipster high streets, that is an important part of our model to market, but in a suburban context the local shopping centre is just as important.”