Shop the Hinchinbrook Way initiative declared a “success”
The Hinchinbrook Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Tourism is celebrating the outstanding success of its Shop the Hinchinbrook Way ‘Go Local’ initiative following the revelation that a staggering $27,112 was loaded onto gift cards during the month of December.
The exceptional outcome indicates that Hinchinbrook residents are welcoming the opportunity to shop locally and support small businesses in favour of large multinationals, with 488 cards purchased as gifts, staff incentives or prizes in the lead-up to Christmas and over 100 businesses accepting the cards in store.
Chamber President, Rachael Coco, said that Chamber’s Management Committee along with project sponsors were “elated” at the early results and hopeful that the program amplified and maintained the go local trend that emerged following the 2019 monsoon and again during COVID-19.
“Chamber’s Shop the Hinchinbrook Way campaign was always about more than gift cards, it was designed to reinforce and celebrate the many benefits of shopping locally to encourage people to make the conscious choice to go local whenever possible” said Ms Coco.
“From the gift card sales, general feedback from the public and entries into the gift voucher giveaway competition, we can see that residents are embracing these messages and are proud to keep their money local” she said.
“We realise that December sales will exceed all other months of the year, but it’s worth noting that less than $4,000 has been redeemed so far which means that there’s still over $23,000 to be injected into the economy at independently owned, local businesses.”
“These early sales have also allowed us to demonstrate an immediate positive return on investment against the $16,500 of program seed money that was jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), and we remain hopeful that sales increase in 2021.”
The gift voucher giveaway competition is also ongoing, with five x $50 vouchers up for grabs each week until May.
Ms Coco stressed that anyone who shopped at an independently owned business could enter as many times as they liked, with a variety of entry models available including via Facebook, text message or in person at the Bendigo Bank.
“The giveaway is a great way to reward people who already shop locally and eligible purchases aren’t restricted to retail stores and cafes” said Ms Coco.
“Anyone who uses local automotive, construction, cleaning, mowing or professional services can enter and we want to see all industries promoted as part of the giveaway” she said.
“But I like to remind people that when you go local, you create jobs, get better customer service and support schools, sporting clubs and community events, so I believe that each time someone shops locally we’re all winning.”
