BURLINGTON, ON, CANADA – (June, 2021) – Qwhery launched Marketplace Milton as a convenient way to access local business information in the Halton Region and the Region of Peel.
A Community Collaboration Project
Voice assistants and voice-activated searches are becoming a first choice for information seeking among young adults and tech savvy individuals. In turn, Main street businesses are facing difficulties in moving beyond traditional search engine optimization (SEO) towards gaining a presence in voice-enabled searches. This further begged the question as to how local businesses could increase their likelihood of appearing in voice-activated search results, despite being alongside national chains and franchises.
The Milton Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Milton BIA (Business Improvement Area), Haltech client, and Qwhery Inc., with support from Digital Main Street’s Future Proof program, developed a Community Collaboration project that would prove helpful for the local businesses and consumers. This project aimed to design and build a prototype local business directory that integrated directly to our Qwhery Cloud.
Marketplace Milton
The new tool, Marketplace Milton, helps consumers find local businesses easily through Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa platforms. Users are able to use Marketplace Milton to inquire nearby businesses of certain types, such as bakeries, cafés, or car dealerships. To make the process even simpler, results can be emailed or sent through text message to the individual. Furthermore, they can also be provided a map view of the results, receive directions, and a link to visit the business’ website.
Users can enable the tool by saying “Ask Marketplace Milton”, and proceed to ask a variety of questions such as “find my nearest restaurant,” or “where is the closest library.”
This Digital Main Street project was made possible through financial support from the Government of Canada through FedDev Ontario’s Regional Relief and Recovery Fund.
Qwhery Inc.
Qwhery Inc, is a leader in implementing voice technology and geographic information systems. Their flagship product, Q11, connects smart home devices and voice assistants to local government open data portals. The Qwhery cloud helps Cities connect the services that they provide to their residents in a way that is truly unique – through smart home technology, open data and community engagement. More information can be found at Qwhery.com. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
