Webster Groves business directory rollout prompts usability questions, staff pledges follow-up

Scott Davis, deputy city manager for strategic innovation, told the Webster Groves Business Development Commission on Wednesday that he did not have a full tutorial ready for BlueDot but would return with details and metrics after further testing and staff work.

The issue matters to local merchants because the city and the Business Development Commission (BDC) are promoting two web resources—BlueDot and the city-hosted workinwebstergroves.com—to help customers find stores, list jobs and promote events. Business owners at the meeting said they see value in a searchable, regional-facing tool but want it to be easier to use on phones and to better integrate with existing payment and rewards systems.

"I don't have a full presentation today. I'm still trying to learn this software to be able to give you a full tutorial," Davis said. He said he has been working with Gregory Downer, the city's director of finance, and a consultant to understand BlueDot's features.

Business owners and commissioners offered specific feedback: one BDC member said she could update her BlueDot profile easily from a desktop but found the mobile interface "really clunky" and not organized for customers; another suggested QR codes in storefront windows to take shoppers directly to a merchant page. Commissioners also asked whether the city could convert the existing paper-based Webster Bucks certificates into an e-gift or loyalty format usable through BlueDot.

Davis told the group BlueDot's data collection identified roughly "1,100 to 1,200" businesses in Webster Groves, compared with about 700 records in the city's database; he added many of the extra entries appeared to be home-based businesses pulled from Yelp, Google and similar sources. "So there's a lot more than we thought," he said.

Commissioners pressed for metrics: how many businesses have activated their BlueDot listings and how many customers actually use the mobile map. Davis said he did not have activation counts on hand but would attempt to obtain back-end metrics and report them at a future meeting. He also pointed the group to existing BlueDot tutorials and said the project is a priority assigned to him by City Manager Dr. Peoples.

City staff and business representatives noted two adjacent city resources: the BlueDot map and the city-hosted workinwebstergroves.com job-posting site. The sites are hosted side-by-side on the city's web pages but are not currently integrated. Staff said they will evaluate whether to streamline effort and communication across platforms to avoid duplicative maintenance.

Commissioners requested three near-term follow-ups: (1) a report on how many businesses in the BlueDot feed have claimed or updated their profiles, (2) an assessment of mobile usability and recommended fixes (including whether QR codes should be distributed to merchants), and (3) a brief on options for digitizing Webster Bucks (egift card, loyalty program or other redemption flows) and how any approach would interact with business payment processors.

Davis pledged to gather answers and return with a fuller tutorial and metrics. "I promise that this is a priority. It's on my priority list that I was given from Dr. Peoples when I started this position, and it's a high-priority tag on there," he told the commission.

The discussion also included operational questions about staff time to maintain the tools and whether the city should continue promoting both BlueDot and workinwebstergroves.com or consolidate channels. City staff said they will provide cost/work estimates and activation metrics before the commission's next meeting.

Votes at the start of the meeting included a voice approval of the prior meeting's minutes; that action is listed in the meeting's votes summary.