Spark investor app nets global industry award

Spark New Zealand and Sush Mobile have taken out the Outstanding Achievement in Mobile Development award at the MobileWebAwards.

The achievement was for the Spark NZ Investor Centre app.

The app free smartphone app is the first of its kind in New Zealand; an aggregation service and platform for financial information designed specifically for shareholders and investors.

Spark says the app was released in response to international trends in media use by the investment community and a gap in the local market.

According to the 2015 Brunswick Global Investor Survey, over three-quarters of respondents had investigated an issue based on information viewed on digital and social media, and that direct information from companies remains the most influential information source for investors.

Spark CFO Jolie Hodson says the development of the Spark NZ Investor Centre app was in part driven by these insights, and serves as a one-stop shop for existing and potential investors.

"Financial information is only useful if it's up to the minute, and, as one of New Zealand's largest companies by value on the NZX, we have a responsibility to make this information accessible to our investors wherever and whenever they need it", Hodson explains.

"The app is receiving positive feedback for its ease of use and unmatched functionality," she says. "It makes it far easier to stay on top of the latest NZX and ASX announcements, share prices and results – all available from the palm of your hand and with the tap of a finger.

"And it reflects our desire to deliver great digital customer experiences," Hodson adds.

Craig Parnham, CEO of Sush Mobile, says the app represents a great collaboration and truly joint effort between the two companies.

"We loved working on this project with Spark and understand the importance of driving engagement within their shareholder and analyst community," he says. Everyone's very proud of the solution we came up with.

The app allows users access to view:

• Latest announcements – fed directly from the NZX (including market announcements, disclosures and half-year and annual result presentations)
• Latest results – with full-year and detailed financials
• Upcoming events – allows shareholders to sync these to their calendar
• Share prices – provides a live feed from both the NZX and ASX including opening, high and low price and volume traded
• Shareholder information – detailing dividends, share price history and shareholder newsletters

The Spark NZ Investor Centre app will see the rollout of additional features, such as push notifications; over the next few months to make sure it continues to best serve investor needs.

The free smartphone app, available for both Android and iOS