Update: Shop the Hinchinbrook Way
Shop the Hinchinbrook Way gift cards are flying off the shelves only three days after the program officially launched on Monday with preliminary sales exceeding expectations.
In addition to the $7,200 worth of cards that are to be given away during a six-month long promotion, local businesses and members of the public are snapping up the gift cards at a pace that is surprising organisers and sponsors.
Hinchinbrook Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Tourism President, Rachael Coco, said it was great to see locals embracing the program with sales quickly”skyrocketing” in the lead up to Christmas.
“Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, we’ve already sold over $6,500 worth of cards to local businesses who will use the cards as Christmas bonuses for their staff and many more businesses are making enquiries to do the same” said Ms Coco.
“Distributors are already reporting sales to members of the public who are seeking versatile gift solutions for friends and family members and we’re finding that locals are eager to ‘go local’ and avoid the trap of travelling to Townsville or supporting large multinationals this Christmas” she said.
“It’s so rewarding to be supporting small businesses and meeting the needs of the community – we’re consistently hearing that people love the concept and over 100 businesses have signed up to participate in the initiative, which is a really positive indication of future success.”
The closed-loop program offers gift cards in a variety of attractive designs that can be loaded with any value and redeemed at any participating business in the Hinchinbrook Shire, providing a simple and effective model to keep money in the local economy while providing flexibility and choice to card recipients.
The marketing campaign includes vibrant “Go Local” displays in several vacant shop fronts in Ingham’s CBD, reminding the community of the many benefits to be reaped when they shop local and support small businesses.
Entries are also flowing in from eager locals looking to win one of 144 x $50.00 gift cards thanks to local sponsors including Hinchinbrook Community Support Centre, Wilmar and Member for Hinchinbrook, Nick Dametto.
“Chamber’s management committee is enjoying seeing locals celebrate the ‘go local’ ideals that we embody, with entries received to date promoting businesses in industries such as retail, hospitality and construction” said Ms Coco.
“It’s encouraging to see business owners taking the initiative to motivate their customers to enter the competition, and our Facebook page is getting fantastic reach” she said.
“We’ve heard it so many times this year but we really are all in this together, so I genuinely hope to see this program become a recovery tool following the COVID-19 crisis as locals support the small businesses who support our community.”
