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BARGAIN hunters who enjoy scouring through Amani’s amazing deals in GulfWeekly every week can now also check out the latest offers with the help of an app created by a Bahraini entrepreneur.
Amer Mahmood, the CEO and marketing manager of Info Line Items Promotion, has seen the response to iOfferBH grow in popularity since it was launched a year ago.
The 34-year old, who lives in Riffa, said: “We started Info Line two years ago with the idea of providing helpful information to the general public. Our team came up with the idea for iOfferBH and we quickly developed it with our key mantra of ‘convenience’ in mind.
“Our chief goal was to amalgamate all the booklets, flyers, emails and everything else that people accumulate and have offers available in an instant with one simple-to-use app.”
The app was launched initially on Android’s Google Play store, before later hitting the iOS App Store. However, the company’s big break came three months ago when technology giants Microsoft, enamoured with the app and its potential, approached Amer and asked him to develop it for the Windows platform and offered to feature the app on local smartphones.
The latest figures indicate that there have been 50,000 downloads already and iOfferBH recently broke into the top 100 most downloaded apps in the GCC.
The app itself provides live pop-ups when you’re using it, to provide the very latest updates while browsing, and there is also the option to turn on notifications on your phone when something new comes in from one of your favourite outlets.
As well as a main feed, there is the option to search for a specific outlet or company and catch its latest offerings, or search by category for items such as electronics, restaurant promotions, supermarket food and beverages, or appliances.
Usability and convenience are paramount, says Amer. All offers are presented in English and Arabic, and clicking on one takes he user to another screen with a large picture of the product and a number of clickable options. These include the store’s phone number, a link to the company’s website, and, most nifty of all, an instant link to Google Maps which tells you exactly where the outlet you want is and provides the quickest directions.
There is a star-shaped button on every page, and tapping it saves the offer to a ‘favourites’ section to pull up at any time rather than having to scroll through to find it, and there is even a ‘share’ button allowing users to instantly send a promotion to a friend via Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram and other social media outlets. All deals are also dated specifically, and they disappear off the app when they expire to avoid confusion.
Amer admits he has always had a keen interest in technology, but it was only recently where his grand designs really came into focus.
He explained: “I often think I was born with a computer in my hand! I’ve always had a keen interest in technology and how we can continuously push the boundaries of what is possible.
“Info Line was originally just an idea, with ambitions to develop a fully operational service, and since it began it has snowballed into what we have now. I helped code the app and acted as the art director. I worked for the FP7 advertising agency for nine years, so my experiences there taught me a lot about how to design the layout and how to really appeal to people who want simplicity.”
From jotting down business blueprints in a notebook at school to operating out of an office in A’ali’s Riyadat Mall, Info Line has come a long way in a short time but Amer is confident the future looks rosy.
He explained: “Our iOfferBH app is the first step in Info Line’s grand project design. We have plans to expand in the future and branch out into other areas. We are already available in Iran and the UAE as well as Bahrain, but this is just the beginning. Other projects under the Info Line umbrella are also currently under development, but they’re a secret for now.”
iOfferBH is available to download on Android, Apple and Windows app stores for free.
For more information, visit www.infolinebh.com
