The innovation is the first App amongst Australian vitamin and dietary supplement companies to be approved and available on Apple’s App store, and has harnessed the power of digital technology to make trusted and credible natural health information easily accessible.
“Smart phone ownership is sitting at around 50% in Australia today, and is expected to grow to over 60% in the next 12 months so it is an important tool for accessing health information.” said Blackmores Strategic Communications Manager for Digital, Simon Marks.
“Mobile smart phones are making connected consumers smarter shoppers as the use of mobile technology is becomes a core part of shopping behaviour,” Marks said.
Marks believes this same technology can be used to arm front-of-shop pharmacy staff with timely and relevant information about specific products and conditions, so they can help consumers make more informed decisions about the products they select.
“While this kind of information can never replace the one to one advice a pharmacist or naturopath can provide, we know that many consumers go online to learn about conditions and the natural therapies used to manage them before they even head in-store.
“We believe this App gives consumers access to quality advice from a trusted source that can also empower front-of-shop staff by providing a portable, easy-to-access delivery tool that lists active ingredients, dosage, contraindications and medicine interactions”.
An innovative feature of the free Blackmores App is the barcode scanner, which enables the user to scan a Blackmores product and instantly access detailed information about the product.
There is also a store finder, allowing consumers to find their closest Blackmores stockist within Australia while they are out shopping.
In addition to this, the App hosts a direct link to the free Blackmores Advisory Service, offering health and wellness advice from Blackmores’ team of qualified naturopaths, Monday – Friday from 8:30am – 5:30pm (AEST).
Users can also access the extensive Blackmores library of health, wellness and lifestyle articles written by a team of natural health professionals.
For more information on the features and benefits, or to download the Blackmores App visit the iTunes store, at http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/blackmores/id510249684?ls=1&mt=8
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Note to Editors: The Blackmores app is designed for use in Australia. Some parts of the app will not work correctly outside Australia.
The App is compatible with iPhones. Android users can access Blackmores’ mobile site which can be viewed on most smart phones via standard mobile web browsers. The mobile site shares many of the features of the App, with the exception of the barcode scanner.
The mobile web address is the same as Blackmores’ main AU site: www.blackmores.com.au.