Apple on Wednesday announced the expansion of its tools to help businesses connect more effectively with customers.
With Apple Business Connect, businesses of all sizes—whether physical or online-only—can now create a brand presence that reaches over 1 billion Apple users, according to the company.
What is Apple Business Connect?
Apple Business Connect is a free platform that allows businesses to control how they appear on Apple services like Maps, Wallet, Siri, and more. Businesses can create personalized place cards, engage customers with branded promotions, and use data-driven insights to grow their reach.
Expansion of Tools
Apple’s expanded tools now enable any verified business to establish a consistent brand presence across various apps used by customers, such as Apple Maps, Wallet, and Mail. These tools include:
Tools for Business Growth
Since last year, businesses have been able to manage their place cards on Business Connect by adding or updating photos and logos, inviting customers to take actions such as ordering food or making reservations, and offering promotions directly on their place cards.
Apple now extends this capability to all businesses, including those that operate online or offer services without a physical location. This makes it easier for businesses to create a visual brand identity and build trust with customers.
New Features in Business Connect
Apple has introduced new features, allowing businesses to display their brand more effectively. These include:
Branded Mail: Businesses can now display their brand name and logo in emails sent to customers. This feature ensures that emails stand out in the Apple Mail app and are easily recognizable. Businesses can sign up for Branded Mail now, and the logos will begin appearing later this year.
Tap to Pay on iPhone: When accepting payments via Tap to Pay on iPhone, businesses can now display their logo instead of a generic category icon, letting customers know they’re making payments to a trusted, verified business.
Business Caller ID: Beginning next year, businesses will also be able to register for Business Caller ID. This will display the business’s name, logo, and department on the inbound call screen, helping customers distinguish legitimate businesses from spam or unwanted calls.
How to Register
Virtual, online, and service-based businesses can register for Business Connect using their existing Apple Account or by creating a new one. Registration can be completed on any device, including cell phones, tablets, desktops, or laptops.
Once signed up, businesses can customize their branding for free. Additionally, businesses can manage their location presence at scale through listing management agencies like DAC Group, Rio SEO, SOCi, Uberall, and Yext.
Speaking about the expansion, David Dorn, Apple’s Senior Director of Internet Software and Services Product, said,
We’re excited to offer all businesses—including those without a physical location—the ability to create a brand presence across the Apple apps that over a billion people use every day.
We designed Business Connect to empower businesses to present the best, most accurate information to Apple users. With today’s updates, we’re helping even more businesses reach customers, build trust, and grow.