ShopAppy and support your local businesses
With covid restrictions and worries about social distancing, many people are understandably avoiding their high streets just now. But what about the retailers? We all know that it’s been the local shops who stood by us during lockdown, going the extra mile with deliveries and carry out services and doing their best to help when stocks ran low in bigger supermarkets.
For many just now, the safest option is online, but spending with giant global companies sends our money elsewhere, away from the local businesses who need that income to keep themselves and their own families going.
That’s why East Ayrshire Council, Kilmarnock Business Association, Cumnock Business Association and numerous other organisations across the area have joined forces with ShopAppy.com to help small businesses and sole traders to create an effective virtual high street, with a web based platform where they can showcase and sell their goods and services in a way which is easily accessible and more visible to the public than individual websites.
ShopAppy works by bringing together businesses in a local town and surrounding area, giving them their own space on their website to present and sell their wares, alongside others, making it a one stop shop for lots of different retailers and giving them access to a much wider market.
Councillor Jim Roberts, Cabinet Member for Economy and Infrastructure, East Ayrshire Council explains. “We’re delighted to be able to bring ShopAppy.com to East Ayrshire. It has pages for all our major towns and villages, and allows any East Ayrshire company to join in, add their profile and use it as another outlet for their goods. We hope the public will support it, helping keep our vital businesses going at a time when we all need a boost.
“As a council we’d encourage everyone to have a look at ShopAppy.com. It’s very easy to use and like our East Ayrshire Gift Card - which can be ordered and spent online, or in person, in over 100 East Ayrshire shops - it’s a great way of helping keep money circulating locally.
Choosing to spend local, even online, can make all the difference to how our high streets get through this current situation. We’ve got a good number of shops online already, but we’d urge people to keep checking, as we’ve got new businesses signing up all the time. It costs them nothing to join for the first year and the setup is relatively easy. ShopAppy.com can even help to organise covid safe click and collect points. It really is well worth taking a look.”
Peter Telfer of the Kilmarnock Business Association agreed: ““ShopAppy.com is an easy to use platform that allows customers to buy products from a number of different local retailers and pay for it in one transaction. The drive to shop local has never been more important as our town centres and businesses rely on it. The Kilmarnock Business Association has enjoyed developing the platform alongside East Ayrshire Council and we think many local people will be surprised with the choice, quality and value of products on offer.”
Marion Gilliland of Cumnock Business Association said: “Running businesses this year has been challenging across every sector and we are delighted that East Ayrshire Council have embraced the challenges that we have faced and supported us. Shopping and supporting local is at the forefront of everyone’s minds and the gift card and shopappy.com gives our customers different ways to continue to do so and stay safe where possible’
Read more about