ShopAppy.com partners with Visa to offer immediate support to SMEs to trade online

ShopAppy.com, an e-commerce platform that enables small businesses to showcase and sell products or services online, has launched a new home delivery service and is offering free registration following a dramatic increase in consumer traffic to the site as a result of COVID-19.

Yorkshire-based business ShopAppy.com, supported by Visa, is aiming to provide small businesses with the immediate help they need to keep running and be ready to re-open their doors, in response to the exceptional challenges currently facing UK small business-owners and market traders.

The innovative platform is providing a lifeline for small businesses by offering a free sign-up process until at least 31 July 2020, enabling them to continue to trade with local communities and grow their online presence without the cost or requirement to set up their own website. The expansion of the website allows for a greater number of businesses to sign up to the platform and for more communities to continue supporting local business.

ShopAppy.com, which has won awards for its work to digitalise UK towns, is also working with local taxi and courier businesses to introduce a delivery service that supports high street businesses and markets by enabling their customers to order products on the platform and get them safely and conveniently delivered straight to their door.

Visa’s partnership with ShopAppy.com is one of its key initiatives to support small businesses, following the launch of its Where You Shop Matters campaign last Christmas. Visa is supporting ShopAppy.com by providing investment to enable the platform to grow, alongside digital and brand marketing expertise to help drive small business sign-ups and consumer experience.

Founder & CEO of ShopAppy.com, Dr Jackie Mulligan, comments: “It’s been a devastating month for local businesses on our high streets, but I have been overjoyed to see that their fighting spirit remains as strong as ever. On ShopAppy, we have seen a record increase in the number of businesses joining the platform and the variety of goods on offer is now greater than ever.

“What’s even more encouraging is that the wider business communities in towns and cities across the UK are now getting behind our high streets. We’re thrilled to now have partnerships in place with a number of local transport companies to help high street businesses and markets continue selling to their customers, and it’s truly inspirational to see how businesses are adapting and uniting to overcome the challenges they face.”

Social psychologist Dr Jackie Mulligan founded ShopAppy.com in 2016 to “level the playing field” for small local businesses to help them adapt to the changing retail environment. The primary objective of the business was to drive high street footfall, acting as an online shop window for local businesses, tapping into the trend of consumers browsing goods and services online before purchasing in-store.

Jeni Mundy, Managing Director, UK & Ireland, Visa says: “Where you shop now matters more than ever and ShopAppy provides a convenient way to continue shopping locally, while maintaining local communities. We’re proud to support the platform to accelerate its roll-out on a national scale, offering greater support to small businesses up and down the country”.

Visa’s partnership with ShopAppy.com follows a host of small business initiatives including its Where You Shop Matters campaign and partnership with the Government-run Great British High Street Awards, demonstrating Visa’s long-standing support for small businesses across the UK.

Jackie adds: “I’m hugely thankful to Visa for the support they’re providing in helping us to scale up at this crucial time. By pooling resources and digitalising our high streets, I’m hoping adapting our offering will provide a lifeline to businesses facing closure, but also equip our high streets with the tools they need for long-term success. Let’s hope this spirit of altruism and shared responsibility to support our own local high streets last much longer than Coronavirus – for the good of everyone.”

High street businesses can register to join ShopAppy.com or find out more about the platform’s new offering by visiting www.shopappy.com.