Support towns and communities impacted by COVID-19, bushfires and drought by buying directly from regional retailers.
An NSW Government initiative, the Buy Regional online hub is actively bringing together a broad range of regional retailers including vineyards, fashion labels, gifts and handicrafts artisans in one place to sell their wares.
Currently, more than 450 SMEs in regional NSW are using the hub to showcase their products and services.
The Buy Regional hub also features businesses from some of the areas in NSW hardest hit by drought and bushfires. “We recently commissioned research* showing that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted 8 in 10 SMEs while over half have been affected by climate events such as droughts and bushfires,” said Oliver Wade, Head of Marketing & Partnerships, OnDeck Australia.
“For some regional NSW businesses, they have been hit with a triple whammy of drought, bushfire and now COVID-19.
“We must get behind our regional communities in this difficult period and why not start today by visiting the Buy Regional online hub to shop for gifts for all occasions such as wine, fashion, food, arts and craft and hampers.”
Regional businesses in NSW can participate in the hub and social media network for free by emailing the Buy Regional team or by registering using the contact form on the website.
“Buy Regional is a great way for SMEs to showcase their products and services despite COVID-19 restrictions and getting set up on the site will help them connect with customers in a contact-less way,” Oliver concluded.
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*About the research
The independent research was conducted online in April 2020 by Honeycomb Strategy across more than 300 SME owners Australia-wide. The survey included SMEs with less than 50 employees, annual turnover of $50,000-$5 million, and in operation for at least 12 months.
