Next time someone asks you why do you shop local when the big retailers offer better prices, show them this article.
We have summed up in just 5 points as to why you should shop locally and not from a multi-million-pound corporation.
Statistics explicitly show that small businesses are the lifeblood of the world economy.
In the UK, there were 5.94 million small businesses in 2020 which accounted for 99.3% of the total UK businesses.
Why you should shop local and support small businesses?
Look what happened during the lockdown. Small businesses were forced to close their doors, while major giants such as Amazon doubled their income compared to last year.
So we must understand the reasons to support small businesses, and reduce/stop feeding the ‘big sharks’. Only this way small businesses can be supported and get a fair chance of survival.
As 30% of start-up businesses fail in their 2nd year and only 50% survive at 5 years. A full 70% of small businesses don’t make it past their 10th birthday.
#Reason1: Boosting the local economy
If you have 10,000 people living in the community and if everyone spends £5 per week in the local shops rather than at large supermarkets or online, it would bring in an extra £2.6 million into the local economy over 12 months.
Moreover, small businesses tend to hire people from close surroundings, which again keeps the money & job opportunities within the community.
#Reason2: Small businesses offer better shopping experiences
As opposed to the copy-paste products sold at large companies, local shops are a source of creativity and originality. They offer one-of-kind products or services that they’ll be more than happy to customise and personalise according to your wishes.
Furthermore, the staff at local shops are ready to go the extra mile & make your shopping experience as smooth as possible and certainly know how to connect to their customers.
#Reason3: Shopping local means preserving the environment
Being located close by local businesses are accessible by a walk or local public transportation. This helps reduce pollution, habitat loss, & congestion.
Small businesses also tend to source their supplies from other local businesses. This helps reduces the negative impacts of transportation & distribution on the environment, which is not the case with big chains.
#Reason4: It helps create the identity of your community
Begin a part of the community themselves, local businesses are the perfect advocates and ambassadors who promote community culture. Through their welcoming and positive attitude towards strangers, as well as returning customers sets an example for everyone. It also creates a culture that easily becomes a trademark for the place and attracts visitors i.e. influencing tourism.
Did you know that small businesses are bigger sponsors to sports than multi-million corporations? Yes, they are. Equally important, they are big supporters of charities and are keen on donating to organisations that directly deal with problems within the community. As they understand your problem more than the giant corporations being a part of the community.
Last but not least, through providing apprenticeships and internships small business owners pass on their skills to the youth which is crucial for the future growth and development of a local community.
#Reason5: You matter more to them!
Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, who are less likely to leave and are more invested in the community’s welfare and future. Most importantly your values and desires are much more influential to your local community businesses than the big chains. Hence they are interested to invest in projects or support charities or events for the betterment of the community!
Conclusion
Supporting local businesses is a win-win situation for everyone in the community. You get the best buying experience, the owner/ local employees get their livelihood, & the community gets more funds for development.
You can discover/support local Devon independents from our website simply by clicking here.
You can also subscribe to your newsletter to get discounts from some of the fabulous local Devon independents!
