The Customer

The Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP) Oman is a branch of the Oman government that provides information on government policy, pricing, local laws and consumer protection to merchants, businesses and consumers in the sultanate of Oman.

THE PROBLEM AND THE FOLIO3 SOLUTION

The PACP’s primary channel of communication with the public was their website which was not mobile friendly, making it difficult to navigate and read on smartphones and tablets. The PACP wanted to bridge this gap by creating a mobile app that would enable consumers and merchants to reach them more easily at any time and from anywhere, and also enable consumers to file complaints with the PACP directly from their smartphones.

The PACP was looking for a mobility partner who could help them bring this solution to life. They chose to partner with Folio3 due to Folio3’s extensive experience in mobile development and its reputation for delivering high quality solutions.

After analyzing the requirements Folio3 team started work on the project. Working with close collaboration with the PAPC over a period of 8 months, the team designed and delivered a cross platform consumer guide app (for iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BB OS) that provides consumers and merchants with data and information on consumer goods, price variance in several stores of the sultanate, advice and guidance about consumer protection laws and the PACP’s role, public awareness messages and news related to item recalls, warnings, etc. and the ability to submit their views or complaints to the PACP directly. The app’s features other key features include:

A bar code scanner for checking item prices

A monthly expense planner

Push notifications for product recalls, warnings and advice

Turn by turn directions to the nearest retail outlet selling a product

International & GCC commodity items price checker

Thanks to Folio3’s efforts the PACP app was a huge success and was extremely well received by both the government and as well as consumers and merchants in the sultanate. It’s intuitive interface and ease of use was particularly appreciated by consumers, due to which the app was nominated for and subsequently won The Best Government Service over Mobile Phone at Arab World Level award, at the 3rd Government Summit hosted by the UAE, Dubai Emirate in which 3000 members from 87 countries participated. It was also covered extensively in the local news and TV channels.

The PACP was so impressed with Folio3’s work that they engaged Folio3 for providing on-going maintenance and support for the consumer guide app. The partnership is now in its first year, with the Folio3 team constantly adding new features to the app.