Buying Local and Buying Online don’t have to be opposing ideas. One of the exciting initiatives to come out of our recent COVID-19 is the recently launched Cradle Coast Market online shopfront for North West retailers, market operators, artisans, musicians, and service providers.
Courtesy of a grant from the Tasmanian government, Business Northwest and the Devonport Chamber of Commerce built the Cradle Coast Market so small businesses could extend their sales channel into the online world. Covering the entire North West Coast of Tasmania, the Cradle Coast Market combines the ease of online shopping with the benefit of supporting local operators.
While the new digital marketplace has gone live, they are keen to get more vendors involved. The best news is that the service is free. There is no charge for membership and set up, and the team will even help guide you on how to load your products and services onto your virtual shelves. The only charges are admin and card fees on each transaction — if you don’t make any sales on a day, then you don’t pay! This is great for makers that don’t currently have an online presence. If you have an existing website, the Cradle Coast Market can add your listing to to their site which will
divert internet traffic directly to your own store. Of course, if you’d prefer to transfer your online presence to the new platform and save on hosting fees, they can assist you with that process, too.
As a small business, when you register on the site, you can also access up to eight hours of free training via Switch Tasmania. Workshops are also being planned to assist store holders to connect with the platform, get them ready to promote their products, and extend their sales.
Whether you’re a retailer, a service provider, tourism operator, or even a muso, you’ll be able to reach more customers, because the Cradle Coast Market is a genuine e-commerce platform that can take bookings, take payments, but most of all take the hard work out of setting up online.
