Agenda item

The purpose of this report is to provide information on the progress and future promotional plans for the HelloSK app, along with early sight of the Discover South Kesteven website proposed to be published (viewable) live on the web.

The Deputy Leader introduced the report.

The annual 2021 STEAM study had revealed an upturn in tourist numbers had helped to boost South Kesteven’s visitor economy by 3.5% to £168.63 million and 2,232 full-time equivalent people were employed in the sector.

It was recognised further efforts were needed to attract more day and stay visitors and increase dwell time and therefore spend in the local economy.   Accordingly, it was strongly believed internet marketing and the use of mobile apps could help the Council to connect with residents, businesses and visitors to show them the visual appeals of South Kesteven as a destination and possibly more exposure than could be achieved through traditional print advertising.

At its 13 June 2023 meeting, the Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee requested a review of the Hello SK app and the Discover South Kesteven website be added to the work programme for today’s meeting.

The Welcome Back Fund provided a window of opportunity for procurement of a local app, for which £50,000 was spent on the creation and launch of the HelloSK app.

The Hello SK app was procured through a formal tender process in March 2022.  The app met a desire and need to support local businesses as South Kesteven emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Offering a new approach to supporting the local economy, reflecting the influence of digital technology on the way consumers shop, communicate and engage with businesses.

Hello SK app was free for both businesses and consumers.  Small fees of 3% of purchase price were incurred for businesses when goods are purchased through the app.  This was a lower fee than many comparable apps.

Council Officers met with Bubltown, the developers of the app, fortnightly to share updates on the progress of the app, discuss opportunities for growth and hear about best practice from other organisations using similar platforms.  As of 9 August 2023, the Hello SK app had been downloaded by 1,276 consumers and contained 205 business profiles from across South Kesteven.

Discover South Kesteven was the tourism and visitor economy brand for South Kesteven District Council.  The brand was well recognised and supported by its website, publications, social media presence (TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter)) and in-person events, such as the successful Visitor Economy Networking Event, trade shows and business events.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) presented the opportunity to update the Discover South Kesteven website and support the tourism and visitor economy businesses across the District.

The proposed updated Discover South Kesteven website had been created with a visitor to the District in mind and supported the Hello SK app by encouraging visitors to download the app and take advantage of the Global Position System (GPS) maps function, enabling visitors to navigate from their current location and explore South Kesteven.

Members raised the following points during discussion:

·            It was felt the app needed to appear more friendly and welcoming with a clear mention of South Kesteven District Council and the local area.  The requirement to register may be potentially off-putting to some.

·            It was hard to measure Hello SK app’s success in terms of revenue.

·            The Council were perhaps trying to build something that already existed.  Where was the value to be achieved?  If it became embedded within the culture of the district, it may be difficult to move on without it in the future, if it did not work positively.

·            13 other Councils were using the same app, however, only Coventry – a significantly larger city had over 5,000 users.

·            The 3% fee was received by a private, third-party company but Council Officers were contributing their time too.

·            A Member suggested that more time be given to making the app a success and building an identity.  A year was not necessarily a reasonable amount of time to expect such results, especially post-pandemic.

·            The Council were perhaps unable to find the resources to make the app a success through a large promotion campaign.

·            Unicom Technology were shown on the ‘Companies House’ website as dissolved.  The Council was to investigate the status of all third parties.

·            Was ‘South Kesteven’ a strong enough brand, rather than Grantham or Lincolnshire?

The Director of Growth and Culture confirmed that the project was funded through the Welcome Back Fund at no cost to South Kesteven District Council and negligible time by Officers.  Members had agreed at previous meetings to set up an app following funding received from the Government.  The feedback received was to be considered and addressed with Bubltown, including the technological requirements to advance the app.  Members had requested ideas to attract visitors to the area and the app was one of several such ideas.

The Tourism and Visitor Economy Officer informed Members that the Christmas 2022 campaign had been the most successful to date.  Ideas for the coming year would involve local community groups and schools.  It was believed Unicom Technologies had undergone a name change and this was yet to be updated on the website.

A Member proposed that Members that were involved in the decision to produce the app, collaborate with the Director of Growth and Culture and her team to develop ideas.

It was proposed and seconded that the Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee recommend to Cabinet that the HelloSK app no longer be used.

The Committee voted 4 in favour and 5 against the proposal.

The Director of Growth and Culture asked Members to consider allowing work to continue on the draft Discover South Kesteven website enabling the website to go live as soon as possible.

It was proposed, seconded, and AGREED that the Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

a)         Considered the progress of the Hello SK app, making any suggestions of additions or amendments which should be reflected.

b)         Endorsed the proposal to release a survey over the coming months to encourage feedback from businesses and consumers who use the Hello SK app.

c)         Considered the content of the updated Discover South Kesteven website and Hello SK app, looking at them clinically, taking good advice and making any specific suggestions to be considered by the Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee, for amendments to be reflected prior to publication (viewable) live on the web.

d)         Agreed to receive a quarterly update on the Hello SK app and a six-monthly update on the Discover South Kesteven website.