The Region of Durham has announced the launch of a new multi-vendor e-commerce website, Shop Durham Region, for businesses to list their products online alongside other local products.
The upcoming holiday shopping season will be critical for Durham’s small businesses, said a statement. “While major online shopping retailers continue to get bigger and busier, many locally-owned and operated retailers are struggling—a trend that is accelerating during the pandemic.”
The new online marketplace—with listings from Durham-based retailers and vendors only—will offer a single, streamlined shopping experience, where residents can go to buy products from multiple stores in a single transaction.
Purchases will be collected through curbside and/or in-store pick-up, or through shipping options offered by each vendor. Funded by Regional Economic Development and led by the Whitby BIA, the marketplace is available to businesses across Durham, the statement said.
By using the Shop Durham Region platform, Durham residents will ensure their holiday spending is directly supporting their local economy. The online marketplace is designed to increase the number of customers that browse locally-offered products online, and the initiative will support local businesses in adapting; raising their digital presence and e-commerce capabilities, it added.
Businesses urged to join
To be successful, Shop Durham Region needs local vendors to join. For businesses with an existing online store, linking a Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento (and other ecommerce platform) store is simple. Businesses in Durham Region without an online store can also join, as well as both bricks-and-mortar and home-based businesses. Free support is available to businesses that need it, or those that don’t have an existing online store.
Participating businesses will be provided with set-up assistance, product photography style guides and training videos. The first 100 businesses to sign up will also receive professional product photography for up to five products. Over 30 vendors have already joined the marketplace, so small businesses will need to act quickly to access this free photography package.
Businesses interested in participating should visit ShopDurhamRegion.ca or contact the Downtown Whitby BIA.
This initiative is part of the Durham Economic Task Force’s economic support and recovery plan. To learn more about Invest Durham’s Covid-19 response, visit InvestDurham.ca/CovidResponse.
“By helping Durham’s small businesses transition into today’s environment of online shopping, we’re enabling a community that supports one another—whether that means supporting behind the scenes through programs like Shop Durham Region, or being the consumer who shops at our local businesses. This is another great example of how our Durham Economic Task Force has come together during Covid-19 to ensure our local business community stays Durham Strong,” said John Henry, Regional Chair and CEO, Region of Durham.