Apple Lets Businesses Connect With Users

<p>Apple has introduced <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;apple&period;com&sol;business&sol;connect&quest;campaignId&equals;7101&amp&semi;invitationCode&equals;2green" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">Apple Business Connect<&sol;a>&comma; a free tool that allows businesses of all sizes to claim their location place cards and customize the way key information appears to more than a billion Apple users across Apple Maps&comma; Messages&comma; Wallet&comma; Siri&comma; and other apps&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;We created Business Connect to provide Apple users around the world with the most accurate information for places to eat&comma; shop&comma; travel&comma; and more&comma;” said Eddy Cue&comma; Apple’s senior vice president of Services&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Apple Business Connect gives every business owner the tools they need to connect with customers more directly&comma; and take more control over the way billions of people see and engage with their products and services every day&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>With Business Connect&comma; businesses around the world can now directly manage their information in the interactive Apple Maps place card&comma; including adding and updating photos and logos&semi; inviting customers to take actions like ordering food or making a reservation directly from Maps&semi; and presenting customers with special promotions&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Showcases&comma; a new feature in the place card&comma; helps businesses present customers with offers and incentives&comma; like seasonal menu items&comma; product discounts&comma; and more&period; Businesses can easily update the Showcase section of their place card through Business Connect&period; Showcases are available to businesses in the US beginning today&comma; and will be available to businesses globally in coming months&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Businesses can also provide customers with useful information by highlighting actions for them to take directly from the Maps place card&comma; like ordering groceries via Instacart&comma; making a hotel reservation through Booking&period;com&comma; or reserving a spot for dinner with OpenTable&comma; and more&comma; with just a tap&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Business owners can use their existing Apple ID — or create a new Apple ID — to register for Business Connect at the self-service website from any desktop or laptop computer&period; Once a business has logged in and Apple has verified their business&comma; they can claim their location&lpar;s&rpar; and begin updating and personalizing their place card&comma; all for free&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>For businesses with many locations&comma; Business Connect includes Business Connect API to easily deliver accurate&comma; up-to-date information to Maps at scale through listing management agencies such as Reputation&comma; Rio SEO&comma; SOCi&comma; Uberall&comma; and Yext&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Apple designed Business Connect with small businesses in mind&comma; offering them the same access and ability to customize their digital presence as global brands&period; Business Connect complements other Apple services designed to help small businesses grow and reach customers&comma; including Tap to Pay on iPhone — which enables businesses to seamlessly and securely accept Apple Pay&comma; contactless credit and debit cards&comma; and other digital wallets through a simple tap to their iPhone — and Business Essentials&comma; a subscription that brings together device management&comma; 24&sol;7 support&comma; and cloud storage&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;