Our main aim is to be able to play a part in the recovery of the British economy!
To know that we may have helped to have a hand in helping some of the struggling businesses at this time to recover, but also providing vital help to people and families who are in difficulty, whether that be from helping breadwinners to stay in work, or providing the means of buying supplies if leaving the house isn’t possible.
The current Covid-19 situation has forced vendors to think outside the box with regards to trading if they didn’t want to face permanent closure and the need for delivery services has been highlighted more than ever.
Now, as we slowly return to ‘normal’ a new way of shopping for these services has emerged, providing traders with a further way of doing business and leading to more profits. Also allowing customers a new way to shop for fresh produce. The problem is the majority of traders do not have a system in place to provide online/telephone orders. While social media was a useful, temporary measure, logistically it isn’t a feasible way to run a business online and the initial outlay involved in setting up a website and/or marketing information outweighed the immediate need.
Together we must ACT NOW!
This is where Local Shop Online comes in. We have created an affordable online platform aimed at small independent retailers as we feel the service will benefit them the most at this time, allowing them to compete with the larger supermarkets. Following a free trial period, they can sign up to use our service for a monthly fee. In return they will have their own customisable shop page on the site, allowing them to upload their own branding images, add products, take orders and payments, and if they wish, they can even employ the services of a delivery driver. All for less than £1 a day, no hidden fees.
The platform is also designed for new businesses to set up shop, thus creating more ways for people to generate income. With the number of job cuts steadily rising and vacancies falling, the future of the job market is looking dire, more and more people are seeking alternative ways to make a living. We vow not to start charging new business ventures until they begin to start making sales.
Customers will be able to order through the website or download our free customer app.
Here they will be able to place orders, choose when they want the order delivered, pay for the order, and track delivery in real-time, all at no extra cost from us.
The taxi industry has taken a huge hit in light of Covid-19, with many drivers struggling to make ends meet.
On top of that, the genuine fear for safety is leading drivers to seek alternative sources of revenue. Our platform will help to create more opportunities for existing and new drivers. Once drivers have signed up to our service and provided the necessary documentation, they will have access to the free driver app. From here, they will receive job notifications which they can simply choose to accept or decline. The driver will receive 100% of any delivery costs added to an order. There is no charge for them to use our service.
Backing the governments “Better Health” campaign
Amongst many other things, Covid-19 highlighted the need for healthier lifestyles and we are supporting the government's "Better Health" campaign, promoting the need for people to eat fresh and healthy food. Food that our target markets provide.
"The urgency of tackling the obesity time bomb has been brought to the fore by evidence of the link to an increased risk from COVID-19.
Living with excess weight puts people at greater risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19, with the risk growing substantially as body mass index (BMI) increases. Nearly 8% of critically ill patients with COVID-19 in intensive care units have been morbidly obese, compared with 2.9% of the general population."
Published 27 July 2020
From: Department of Health and Social Care
Get fit while making money
People will also be able to make use of their own bike and make some money while getting fit by simply signing up. There is no obligation and no cost, once you have access to the driver app you can simply open it and change your status to “active” when you are ready to make some deliveries
What will the crowdfunding achieve?
We have personally funded the project so far but are hoping to secure finance for our best possible next step, a huge advertising, and a marketing campaign to launch the business and push it forward. There over 24000 market traders selling food and over 46000 small convenience stores in the UK, along with independent butchers, greengrocer, and bakers. Small enterprises and local producers that make up the bulk of market traders have been hard hit by COVID-19. The majority (70%) are predicting a downturn and 8-16% of stallholders expect to go out of business. We want to get the word out there to as many people and businesses as possible to prevent this from happening.
Link to our websites and apps
Business Owner Website: https://localshoponline.info/
Ordering Website: https://www.localshoponline.co.uk/
Android Ordering App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.localshoponline.orderingapp
Android Business Owner App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.localshoponline.businessapp
Android Drivers App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.localshoponline.deliveryapp
IOS apps coming soon