Melbourne-based web offset firm AIW Printing has joined the smartphone era by releasing an iPhone app.
The free smartphone application suite, which is based on PrintLink technology, has been created for AIW's magazine and catalogue clients.
It has already scored a success with the launch of an app for Armando's Studio in conjunction with Indepet Stores.
The Pet Super Stores customised app provides readers with direct contact to stores for browsing, selecting and ordering products by phone.
AIW chief information officer Ryan Sharpley said the PrintLink suite would help its clients take advantage of the electronic market by giving readers a way to make direct transactions.
He also told ProPrint it would turn traditional printed media into a "multi-dimensional experience" that would "create a value-added product for our customers".
"Our goal was to create a link from our catalogue to mobile devices, enabling customers to buy directly off the catalogue, when they need it."
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The suite can be customised to meet the needs of AIW clients, from apps linking information pages to a full e-commerce offering.
"We developed this technology to provide our customers a point of difference. The key functionality is really the image recognition technology that sits in the app, which lets you hover over a page and takes you to a website or a product," said Sharpley.
AIW has released several other apps in the travel, retail and variety store markets, said Sharpley.
"It’s a point of difference for the company and it’s a way of coexisting with the digital environment rather than competing against it. It’s a complementary offering that we provide to our clients," he told ProPrint.
"Feedback from our customer base has been encouraging. Interest is growing rapidly now that applications are available in the wider market. AIW forecasts a strong demand for our range of complementary digital products."
Paperlinx business Spicers released a public speaking iPhone app last year that made it to the top of New Zealand's iTunes chart.
[Related: More news about apps]
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