One of the best parts of being a small business owner is you get to deal. Member-to-member discounts have been tossed back and forth Seventh Avenue for years. Last month, the Seventh Avenue Merchants Association Governing Board voted to take that, and several other ideas mobile.
“People have been like, ‘hey, wouldn’t it be cool to have an app,” said Kenyatta Turner, S.A.M.A. Membership Director. “We decided we’re going to move forward with this.” Early in the planning stage, Turner said the same company that now hosts S.A.M.A.’s interactive website will develop a digital application active members can download to their smart phones.
“We want a member to be able to know if another (merchant) is a member,” Turner said. “Someone can walk into the Refuge and say ‘hey John, I’m here for my discount.”
Turner said participation will be completely voluntary and it will be up to individual merchants to decide who gets discounts for what services, and when. “They can do it however they want to do it,” she said. “The virtual membership card will be just one of the benefits of the app.”
Turner said members should also look forward to an updated online directory that allows consumers to search businesses by category rather than just name, as well as discounts for pre-paid legal and business services.
Turner did not yet have a completion date, but said annual membership dues should not raise because of the app. S.A.M.A’s quarterly general meeting will be held January 25 in a location yet to be announced.
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