World’s Largest Local Business Offerings Database Gives Local Merchants Real Time Control Over Their Data on Websites, Mobile, Social Media and Directory Platforms
SAN FRANCISCO & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Locu, an MIT-born business dedicated to helping local merchants, announced today the formal launch of the company’s operations powered by patent-pending technology that will provide restaurant owners, chefs, and managers a free online tool to manage all of their restaurants’ print and online menus and price lists.
According to the AT&T Q1 2102 Insights report, restaurants are the top local search category in both online and mobile searches. Locu helps restaurants to better capitalize on this opportunity by making it easier for them to update, design, and share their menu on their website, mobile page, Facebook, and partner sites tapping into Locu’s recently launched API.
Nearly half of 600 restaurant owners surveyed by Locu stated that they would update their online data more frequently if it were easer to do so. As consumers continue to demand fresher ingredients and more sustainable dining experiences, frequent menu updates and access to specific ingredient information take on greater importance. Some 67 percent of the Locu-surveyed restaurant owners cited frequently changing specials as an important part of their offering.
“Locu is focused on meeting the needs of restaurant and other small business owners and our goal is to provide the online tools necessary to help small businesses succeed,” said Rene Reinsberg, CEO and Co-founder of Locu. “Our users value ease-of-use, speed and individuality when it comes to design. Locu reduces the headache of menu updates.”
Keeping menus updated online is critical to driving retention and engagement, but it can be time-consuming and costly. Businesses often pay a premium to designers and webmasters to maintain their menus. Additionally, making updates available via listing sites, social media, and mobile applications is an increasingly difficult task. Locu puts restaurant management back in control of the complete menu creation and publishing process, allowing them to change the design and content of their menus as frequently as they desire.
Izzy Berdan, Director of Visual Branding and Marketing for The Aquitaine Group in Boston, MA, explains, “Managing my multiple venues online used to be really time-consuming, because I’d have to go online and log into every account. And now with Locu, I just log into one account and I can update all my menus at once […] The editor that Locu provides is really, really simple.”
Restaurants, as well as other local businesses looking to more efficiently manage and share their list of services, can sign up for the free service at locu.com. The basic version is free, new users can sign-on simply by providing the business name and an email address. Additionally, for a low monthly fee, Locu will provide additional support and functionality, such as managing multiple venues from one account.
Please visit www.locu.com for more information.
About Locu
Founded in 2011 by MIT graduates and computer science researchers, Locu's vision is to better connect merchants with consumers. Locu’s APIs give developers access to the world’s largest real-time, structured repository of local business offerings data, such as restaurant menus. The data comes directly from merchants, via Locu.com, and Locu’s patent-pending technology platform that digitizes and structures real-world content. Locu is backed by General Catalyst, Lowercase, Lightbank, SV Angel and angel investors and has offices in San Francisco and Cambridge.
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Source: Locu