It is fairly safe to say that there have been very few positives to come out of the recent lockdown, and COVID19 in general, but one positive that has stood out for us is the ingenuity and motivation of small businesses to adapt their business model to the current climate. While larger businesses were able to shutter their buildings and attempt to weather the storm, many small and micro businesses modified their business model and continued trading. While many are rightly concerned for the survival of multinationals in urban centres, could the flipside be the emergence of local economies? We thought we’d look at the positives of shopping locally.
A personalised experience when you shop local
One key benefit of multinationals is that you know what you are getting. But what if you’d like something a bit different, tailored to your specific needs and circumstances? A local business will almost certainly be able to provide this for you, and not only that, they are likely to be run by an individual fully invested in their business and their customers’ needs.
Invest in your local economy
Local economies tend not to be discussed as much as ‘The Economy’ but a thriving local economy directly contributes to the wellbeing of the people who live there. When more wealth goes into local business, more jobs are created and statistics show that those employees then go on to spend in local business, creating a positive and self-perpetuating cycle.
Support creativity and innovation
Many local businesses have a particular idea or product niche to their area. This is because they research their audience, listen to their customers’ suggestions and adapt accordingly. In using local businesses, you are helping to support creativity and innovations, ensuring that products are suited to your locality’s specific needs.
Environmentally Friendly
COVID19 has helped to accelerate the green agenda, with cycling routes and pedestrian only streets springing up over the UK. Shopping locally will help you to reduce your carbon footprint, not only through walking or cycling to these businesses, but the businesses themselves will often use a greater percentage of local goods themselves, thereby reducing the carbon footprint even further.
We hope you enjoyed our tips on why you should shop local and support local businesses. If you have a comment, we’d love to hear it, just pop it in the comments box below!
Here are some other related posts you may be interested in reading:
Doing business locally has benefits…PT1
Doing business locally has benefits…PT2
Doing business locally
