More Kiwis are shopping locally than ever, with over 50% “always” or “often” purchasing local products online and in person.
With this growing support behind New Zealand small businesses (representing 97% of all firms!), there’s never been a better time to uplift our local economy with the power of the people.
Read on for our handy tips on rallying community support and taking your business to the next level!
1. Offer More Payment Options
With the advancement of contactless technology, contactless payments are fast becoming the norm. Almost 40% of Kiwis now prefer to pay with a simple tap of their card, phone or smartwatch rather than fumble with physical cash or enter their PIN to pay!
Benefit from contactless payment methods and enjoy:
- Convenience – Reduce time spent on operating card machines or counting cash.
- Efficiency – Streamline checkout and get those queues moving fast!
- Enhanced security – Offer multi-layered encryption to prevent accidental payments and fraudulent transactions.
- Better customer experience – Let customers pay their way with multiple payment options.
- Invaluable data insights – Tailor products and services to customer needs and wants through transaction analysis.
- Hygienic practices – Keep customers sniffle-free through flu season with contact-free payment technology.
No more lost sales to a “cash only” sign. Let customers support local businesses, whatever their payment preferences.
2. Pay It Forward on Social Media
Spread the word! Social media marketing is a powerful and cost-effective tool for boosting business growth. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok provide unique opportunities for small businesses to connect with customers and build brand reputation.
Visibility is everything, especially for small businesses just starting out. Let future customers know about you without needing to pay big bucks for traditional marketing methods. Even with a smaller budget, local businesses can run targeted ad campaigns and achieve a good ROI.
Social media also allows you to target ads in specific geographic locations. This benefits businesses like local shops, restaurants and service providers that rely on visitors in the area.
Customers love to share opinions. From good experiences to bad ones and everything in between, social media also makes it easy to share word-of-mouth referrals and customer reviews.
Engaging with customers online and encouraging them to share positive reviews can help you get real-time feedback and build your brand presence.
3. Launch a Newsletter to Tap Into the Local Latest
Take marketing into your own hands with email newsletters. This cost-effective communication strategy helps local Kiwi businesses improve customer retention and nurture a loyal community.
Email newsletters allow businesses to stay in touch with customers consistently. You’ve heard the phrase “out of sight, out of mind”—so keep your business top-of-mind and strengthen customer loyalty.
Charge up personalisation through targeted messaging and exclusive deals. Tailor your newsletter content to your community and directly speak to local interests, events or issues. By making comms more relevant to your audience, the more engaged they become!
Joined any local events, sponsorships or community initiatives lately? Share this with the community! Not only does this show that you’re always down with the latest, but it also champions your business’s commitment to supporting local.
4. Team Up With Other Local Businesses
Local heroes, assemble! Collaboration takes your small business to greater heights by tapping into wider audiences and combining strengths for boosted profit. Not to mention, teaming up with other local business groups creates invaluable opportunities for inventive new ideas.
Why not try joint marketing campaigns, holiday season discounts or product collaborations? Crossover projects are a great way to refresh beloved best-sellers and drum up excitement for new business ventures.
Partnered workshops and events also pair well with small businesses whose products and services go hand in hand. This way, customers in the market for ‘Product A’ are naturally introduced to your ‘Product B’—making for an effective cross-collaborative upselling strategy.
Strong partnerships lead to strong networks. As small business owners, you have the power to uplift each other and nurture a solid local community where everyone can thrive!
5. Chip In For Community Events
Community events are a fantastic opportunity for Kiwis to shop local and support small businesses. Customers don’t know what’s out there till it’s out there—so show up and show them what’s good!
Jump into the fray and engage with your customers one-on-one. Not only can you gain greater visibility as a local business, but you can also tailor your goods or services based on real-time feedback.
Check what events are happening at your local community hubs. Markets, fun runs, trivia nights and more—find something that fits your brand and get in touch with the organisers. You could be the vendor they’ve been looking for.
Alternatively, kickstart events yourself! Create the elusive ‘third space‘ for local communities, like jam night organised by the coffee shop and music store, wine tasting at the local cheese shop or empowering budding and fellow entrepreneurs with educational business workshops. The possibilities are endless!
Shopping online has its perks. But the experience of discovering products firsthand or the inspiring stories behind the makers is priceless.
6. Go Green with Eco-Friendly Initiatives
With rising concerns about the environment, 47% of Kiwis now consider sustainability third in purchase decisions after price and quality.
Making informed purchase decisions is top-of-mind, with over 70% actively researching a brand’s sustainability practice before buying. Keep things down to earth by offering customers the opportunity to shop locally with eco-friendly brands.
Small businesses can make their practice more sustainable by:
- Investing in sustainable technology.
- Pushing for improvements in energy and water infrastructure and wastewater management.
- Minimising packaging.
- Using reusable materials.
- Increasing efficiency in your current waste management system.
- Encouraging local sourcing e.g. using cycle-courier services instead of delivery vans.
- Reducing business travel.
7. Create Loyalty Programs – It Pays Off Big!
As the name suggests, loyalty programs are excellent for building customer loyalty and retention.
Offer discounts on repeat or high-volume purchases to show customers how much you value them. Rewards like free goods or services—especially on birthdays—are a great starting point for building a robust loyalty program that keeps customers coming back for more.
Additionally, a well-thought-out loyalty program is another green flag that encourages people to share good things about your business. Sweeten the deal and turn positive first impressions into loyal followings.
