The Success Of Creating A Culture That Rewards Local Shopping
By: Josh Cross, CEO & President of the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce
This summer, the Atascadero Chamber partnered with businesses in our community to launch the Shop Local Bonus program. The goal was simple: to help support our #Atascamazing community during a challenging time and reward those who chose to shop at local, small businesses. Ultimately, I hope that we can continue to build on programs like these to create a stronger culture that encourages, celebrates, and rewards supporting OUR local businesses. Once the Shop Local Bonus program concluded, the team and I were blown away by the results! I’ll share the outcome in a moment, but first, here’s a quick recap in case you’re unfamiliar with the Shop Local Bonus program.
Our Shop Local Bonus program took place from June to the end of August. During that time, 26 local businesses stepped in to partner with us. We were thrilled at the excitement from our business community for this new initiative. This program rewarded customers that spent $100 at participating businesses and submitted their receipts with a $20 gift card to a participating business of their choice. This was a big hit as indicated from social media posts and the positive feedback we received from shoppers!
Don’t just take our word for it; here are some statistics that support the impact of this new initiative. The Shop Local Bonus program generated approximately $18,000 into our local economy (which is a much needed boost). For every $20 gift card awarded, the average spend was $209. Also, while not calculated, the possibility of shoppers spending more than just the $20 gift card upon return is highly likely, thereby increasing the total impact even further.
The success of the Shop Local Bonus program demonstrates how beneficial it is when our business community partners together to foster a culture of shopping with small businesses intentionally. The Chamber plans to launch a similar program in early 2022. Please reach out to me if you would like to contribute towards this economic recovery program by sponsoring one or more businesses. Together, I know that we can continue to do great things in our #Atascamazing community!
-Josh Cross, Atascadero Chamber CEO
President & CEO of the Atascadero Chamber | Josh Cross
