NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Here’s a good idea: Boosting social enterprise through a useful app. Specifically, one that helps like-minded customers find triple bottom line retailers in their area. Consumers who want to patronize such enterprises get easy access to information they probably wouldn’t know about otherwise. And businesses have an effective way to market their wares.

That’s the concept behind Social Impact. Created by Rolfe Larson, a social enterprise consultant who heads Rolfe Larson Associates in Denver, the new iPhone and iPad app lists retail businesses in cities around the world, according to such categories as restaurants, catering, coffee & tea, arts & crafts and miscellaneous. (And here’s a Hat tip to Fast Company).

Click on a category and you’ll see a list of businesses, with address, distance from your location and a map. Click on an individual listing and you get a description of what it does, its mission, and other information, like hours the store is open and a link to the web site. Plus, there’s an option for shopping online, with listings organized according to such categories as books and clothing.