The LTF runs this competition on an annual basis with the aim being to help London-based tech startups by providing a competitive environment, introductions to some key potential partners and a helping hand in key aspects of building and scaling a business.

We were delighted to win our category where we were up against some fantastic competition (the other finalists being Media Equals, a media trading platform, and Zanran, a statistical data search engine) and we feel only slightly disappointed to loose the grand prix to Trojantec who develop cancer stem therapeutics.

On Friday we released a great new feature: restaurant booking. OK, there are several restaurant booking services available so what makes our’s so different?  Here are some features:

- really simple, really easy to use interface

- no registration required

- we remember your details meaning future bookings only take three clicks

- there is an iPhone-optimised version

Booking interface for web cbrowsers

So this is the view if you are viewing it from FireFox, Chrome or IE on the web….

Mobile browser view

…and this is what you see when you use a mobile browser and in this case on an iPhone.

We think you’ll agree that this is a really useful addition to the voucher search engine. There are currently around 2,000 live restaurant offers available and this number is growing. By our calculations, that makes us the home of the largest number of restaurant offers in the UK. Happy booking!

For any developers using the BView API: the restaurant booking screen is now part of the API and you don’t have to make any changes.

I am happy to say that the first two iPhone apps using the BView API are now live. First up is Local Sale Finder which is available to download here followed closely by  London Offers (built by the good people from Rippll) which is available to download here.

The BView API is free for anyone to use and allows you to use the BView vouchers, sales & offers data base on your own application or website.  Go get a key and mash it up to your heart’s content.

Myself and the whole rest of BView have been working really hard in the last few months to redesign BView. It’s gone live today… Go have a look around.  We haven’t changed any of the functionality; instead, we’ve just made the look more modern, and the ability to move through and contribute to the site easier!  It’s going to be refined over the next few months, but I hope you like it as much as I do (or if you don’t, please let me know)!  Here’s a few highlights from the design.

Search for vouchers and businesses

before, you could only search for businesses, and the display wasn't very prominent

We’ve made the ability for you to search for businesses, or switch to search for vouchers as a function of the search, front and centre at the top of the page.  We have a very good, very fast search function, and it’s the easiest way to find businesses and money saving.

Now, it's the dominant feature on the page, and you can specify whether you want to search for businesses or vouchers

Simplified home page

Before it wasn't very clear what our company did from the homepage

In the past, we had been packing as much info as possible onto the homepage, but it meant that first time users who landed on the page were overwhelmed and couldn’t get a quick sense of what we do.  The new version picks out the most important aspects of our site and mirrors our slogan, gives people some navigation to get exploring and gives some solid examples of content for those areas.

Now, we have a simplified homepage focusing on our strengths

Review entry right on the business profile

Before, people had to navigate to a new page in order to write a review.  Now, it’s right there on the business profile page. We’ve also put in helpers to describe what the ratings mean.

Users don't have to navigate away from the main page to write their reviews

Simplified navigation

Before, navigation and actions were all over the page, and difficult to find for first time users

Before, navigation wasn’t consistently in the same place, buttons were all over the place, and the actions for a business weren’t very prominent.  Now, actions are always in the green menu, in the same place and prominently designed.

Now, actions displayed on business profile, user profile and voucher pages in the same place, and prominently placed in the green note card

Simplified voucher display

Before, the logo (and business name and category) was repeated for every voucher, even though it was displayed just above

Voucher search results display the logo, business name and category to give you a quick picture of the offerings, but when you’re on a business profile, that stuff is already there, and in the same frame in the business details.  So, we’ve simplified the voucher display for the business profile page to stop the repetition.

New display looks much cleaner, especially for businesses with multiple vouchers

Focus on the business

Before, related content was included right in the business's profile, with nothing to distinguish it

Before, we put a lot of related content in with the business profile.  For the redesign we’ve made a real effort to put the spotlight on the business, and a clear distinction from related content.  This has meant a more simplified sidebar with less content, and the related businesses and reviews being put into the footer.  This way, we’ve let the primary content shine through, and people will be able to visually understand what is part of that business and what is not.

Now, related content is now in the footer, and obviously separate from the business, and related vouchers are in the sidebar

Bolder, more colourful design

Before, the layout felt cramped and grey

We’ve brought in some reds, greens and blues along with the tan to make the whole page feel friendlier.  We’ve also made sure to let the content have room to breath.

The new design has more space, more context and more colour

Consistency and hierarchy

We’ve spent a lot of time creating a hierarchy of links and buttons. This means that we’ve been thinking a lot more about how people view the page, what they notice, and what fades into the background.  Because we have so many links on an average page (sometimes more than 75!), we’ve made a big effort to make important links stand out, and to let the rest still look like links, but blend in enough so on first glance they are not the first thing you see.

We’ve also brought the font of the logo into the design (on buttons and header bars) in order to make the whole design look more cohesive.  This new hierarchy also means that when we’re putting features into the page, there’s a system in place that the new element must fit in to. If you’re interested in the more in-depth discussion on the design and hierarchy, you can read about it here.  I go through the hierarchy and more on the process behind it.

What do you think?

I would love your feedback (whether it’s scalding or not) on what you think works or what you think doesn’t!

It has been a crazy week for voting on our “What would you do with 99% off?” competition!  You people are much more popular than I ever anticipated.

And with no more further ado, the winner of the competition is…

Julie Kapral!

Congratulations, Julie; you are one popular young lady!  I will be in contact shortly to get you your prize.  I’m sure we’re all looking forward to seeing photos of your new office!

It was a tight race for second place, with Meg Smitley finally beating Chris Dunn by only 2 votes for the silver medal.

Honorary mention goes to 4th place entry, Rebecca Page, who also got lots of voting love.  The rest of you did very well too, but were no match for a popular young lady with an obsession with pink!

Thanks again for all your entries– I really enjoyed reading them and if I could, I’d make all of you winners (maybe if I win the lottery!).

The other day I had one where I was buying an item online and there were two codes available.  One offered me 10% off anything in the store, and free delivery, the other offered me £20 off if I was spending £100 or more.  The item I was buying was £120 so I knew I could use either code.  At first glance, I thought that the 10% off and free delivery was going to give me the best deal, but just to be certain I did have to do a bit of working out to see which worked out best.  Here’s how I did my workings out:

Basic Price £120.
Delivery £5.95.

First Code – 10% off + Free Delivery = (£120-10%=£108) – Total Cost after Code: £108.
Second Code – £20 off = (£120-£20+£5.95) – Total cost £105.95

Not a lot in it as you can see, but if I’d used the first code – the one I’d thought would save me the most -  I wouldn’t have saved quite so much money, and I do always like to save as much as possible.  It’s nice having multiple discounts available, specially at the moment when we’re all trying to save as much as we can, but do make sure you do your maths carefully or you could miss out on the best deal.#

Vialdana

*The work:

1. You write a blog post telling the world what you’d do with your 99% off.  Make sure you have a link back to www.bview.co.uk.
2. Send an email to competition@bview.com and give us a link to said posting.
3. All entries have to be received by midnight GMT on Saturday, April 25, 2009.
4. I’m going to shortlist my top 10 favourites, and then the lovely attendees of Social Media Camp London will vote on the winner, which will be announced by 8pm Sunday, April 26, 2009 GMT.
5. You can enter as many times as you like (if you have multiple blogs, then go for it!).
6. People from anywhere in the world can enter, but the prize will be awarded in pounds sterling.

So that’s it.  Now it’s time for you to get your creative hats on (I know I’ve been singing, “If I had a million dollars” in my head while writing this)! To get you started, us folk at the BView office have come up with what we’d do with the savings. You’re lucky our boss won’t let us enter, but hopefully they will inspire you to think of some great ideas.  Good luck, and I look forward to reading your entries!

Dan (the developer)

If I had 99% off anything, I imagine I would take a trip down to the picturesque village of Bray. With no wallet to burden me and a crisp £5 note in my freshly ironed shirt pocket, I would walk purposefully into The Fat Duck with my girlfriend and ask for the finest table (Norovirus be damned). After enjoying one of the finest meals in the world, I would personally hand Mr Blumenthal the £5 note and ask him to bill the rest to BView.

fat duck for a fiver

Huw (the developer)

I would like to invest £375 in the UK stock market; strategically selecting shares in struggling companies within the financial sector (such banking and insurance based companies).  Following this, I would spend £100 on premium bonds, and squander the remaining £25 on a new jumper (NOTE: I may purchase 2 jumpers, depending on the price per-jumper).

jumper

Colin (the product guy)

I’d take my wife away for a week in cornwall. Just a bit of a break from the norm, just a little something to break the monotony of all that child care that has gotten to be a little bit out of control. It would be cool to to be in France but what about a beach that soothes, that reignites romance? A bargain for a fiver.

Simon (the community guy)

With 99% off I’d have to go for a Canon EOS 40D to replace my beaten up and practically ancient 350D. It would be a shame having to replace it if i won (I’ve had it for so long) but something tells me I’d get over it….

Kat (the web designer)

I have a problem: I love goats, especially baby ones, and so I’ve made up a character named safetygoat, who, sporting a fetching red lifejacket, has become my little mascot.  I had this idea that I could make plastic replicas of them, but minimum quantities means it’s expensive (and I’d end up with hundreds, maybe even thousands of the little guys).  So, I’ve been making them on my own by making a silicon mould and pouring polyeurathane and then painting the result.  You can see the adventures of safetygoat here.

safetygoat with a lump of sulfur

They’re pretty cute, but they’re not exactly the most refined looking toy. So, with my £495 (with a fiver of my own cash) I’d like to make proper vinyl safetygoats.   I’d get them properly made in some third world country, and I would get loads of them, so anyone who wanted their very own safetygoat could have one! It would be a dream come true!

We can’t win (unfortunately), so now it’s your turn!

So get out there and write your entries

Some retailers may look upon discount vouchers and special offers as a sign of “bargain” outlets, increasingly though it is becoming a more accepted way of attracting business. The web is playing an important role in this self promotion as it levels the playing field and allows smaller, independent businesses to compete equally with the nationwide chains. An added benefit with online vouchers is how easily they can be shared between one satisfied customer and their network of friends, family and colleagues. Whether it’s via e-mail, Facebook, Twitter or in conversation creating a voucher in a way that encourages it to be shared can only have a positive affect on your businesses online reputation.

What can your business do to attract new custom?

Increasingly savvy consumers are looking online to find the best deals and biggest savings. BView’s new discount voucher search engine brings this money saving mentality into the local area by helping businesses to publicise their latest money off deals, sales and special offers directly to potential consumers – be it locally or nationally.

As a business looking to test the waters of online promotions it’s important to know that not all offers are created equal. There are a number of different types of promotion you can offer depending on your business goals. Choosing the right type of promotion for your customers is vital for it to work for you.

Trying to attract new customers? “10% off your first order!”
Rewarding customer loyalty? “15% off of your renewal!”
Rewarding customers for spending more? “£5 off a £50 spend!”
Need an extra edge? “Free delivery!”
Seasonal lines coming to an end?  “Buy one get one free!”

Once you’ve decided on the offer that’s best for you and your customers it’s important to think about any restrictions or limitations you need to place on the offer. When will the voucher expire? Can a customer use it more than once? Does it exclude certain items? While it’s never a good thing to be too restrictive, it’s critical to make the terms of the offer clear up front as you don’t want your potential customers to feel like they’ve been cheated out of a deal.

The BView blog will be monitoring what offers work in different sectors, what key trends are occurring and speculating on what the future holds in the online voucher area and the local voucher area.

Now both businesses and customers can benefit by finding local business listings from BView in their search results on Ask.com. So what do you want to find?

‘Florist in Sheffield’, we hear you ask. All you have to do is type in what you need with a town or postcode.

Select the snapshot to see what it looks like:

If you’re in the mood to browse you can explore the Ask.com results but if you’re just looking for options and could benefit from local advice, BView will present five of the closest matches.

On BView you’ll be able to access business information including a map, read what’s being said about the business, check credit scores and access discounts. All of which is conveniently available on one page!

If you’ve got any suggestions or feedback on how we can make BView better then please let me or Samina know.

Bring on 2009… we’ve got big things planned, and can’t wait.