Photo via SokoLocal
We all love shopping local and supporting small businesses but sometimes it’s not as accessible to the alternatives. Online shopping has become the new norm so wouldn’t it be nice to have the convenience of searching and shopping online for locally-sold products?
Well, thanks to SokoLocal that dream just became a reality!
SokoLocal is a one-of-a-kind, community-centric, online platform that connects you with local products by the click of a button! Created by MQLabs, a subsidiary of Mobility Quotient – a tech start-up right here in Calgary, SokoLocal’s main goal is to lessen the impact small businesses endured during the pandemic. We love seeing this kind of initiative from a fellow local company!
Not only does SokoLocal connect consumers with businesses from their own city or town, they now have a reach across North America! With this movement, small businesses can increase their visibility and connect with shoppers around the world. Seriously, we’re talking small town Black Diamond all the way to Austin, Texas!
So how does it work?
SokoLocal catalogues products from a business’ existing website without any service fees or hassle and gives shoppers the ability to search and find their products easily. SokoLocal takes buyers directly to the business’ website so they can buy directly from them! With over 1.5 million products now listed, from 900 different vendors in 30 cities, this local marketplace is just getting started. Watch out Amazon because SokoLocal is gaining steam and we’re all for it!
And we all know how important it is to shop local. It’s not a fad or a trend, it’s vital to our economy and our communities. To put it into perspective, for every $100 spent at a locally-owned business, approximately $66 is reinvested into your local economy; for every $100 spent at a large chain, only $43 remains local. Now we’re not mathematicians but that’s a major difference and just think about how much that sale means to that small business owner!
Look for the SokoLocal app on the App Store and Google Play and let’s keep the shop local movement going!
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