Ireland’s Local Enterprise Offices have run a scheme known as Trading Online Vouchers for quite some time now and in the current climate, the scheme has been been in big demand as businesses look to increase their activity online with a view to getting Ireland’s economy up and running again.
So, what do you need to know about the scheme?
The scheme offers business owners financial assistance of up to €2,500 with the business owner paying €2500 or 50% (you match what LEO pays) towards the overall cost along with some training and business advice to help you trade online
Business owners that can apply for this scheme;
- Have limited or no e-commerce presence online
- Must have a maximum of 10 employees
- Turnover should be less than €2 million
- Should be trading for at least 6 months
- Must be located in the area covered by the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) to which they are applying.
So far it sounds good?
Well, this is how you can use the vouchers if you’re awarded one by your LEO;
- IT consultation
- Development or upgrade of an e-commerce website
- Implementing an online payments system or booking system
- Purchase of Internet-related software
- Purchase of online advertising (this purchase cannot make up any more than 30% of approved Voucher costs and can only be drawn down in one payment phase)
- Development of an app
- Implementing a digital strategy e.g. Social media marketing
- Consultation with ICT experts for early-stage adopters of online strategy
- Training/skills development specifically to establish and manage an online trading activity
- Own labour costs or the purchase of equipment such as computers are excluded
Still sounding good?
In order to apply for this scheme, you will need to apply for a training webinar with the Local Enterprise Office in your region – find your local office here.
Once you’ve completed the training you can apply for the voucher whereby you will be required to submit three proposals as part of the application process. If you’re successful you will be advised how much is available to you, at that point you can make arrangements to get your project moving forward.
Here at The Marketing Shop, there are a number of areas we can assist you with as part of this scheme including;
- Website development to update or add an eCommerce function
- Implementation of a digital marketing strategy
- Social media advertising
We’ve also partnered with other professionals in areas around IT in order to offer a more comprehenisve package to suit the scheme so if you’re not quite sure what you need please feel free to ask if we can help.
The scheme is proving very popular so our advice is that you get booked onto a webinar soon and if you’d like to arrange a no-obligation consulation with us either before or after your webinar in order to determine whether this is right for you, please feel free to arrange a chat by phone or zoom at this link or pop an email to debbie@themarketingshop.ie and we can schedule a call or video chat to look at your options.
Full details of the programme are available at the Local Enterprise Office website https://www.localenterprise.ie/Discover-Business-Supports/Trading-Online-Voucher-Scheme-/
Edit July 2021 – you can now apply for a second Trading Online Voucher, read more on the LEO site here.
Debbie Ringwood is a Marketing Specialist with over 20 years of experience in B2B and B2C Marketing. She is a Graduate of the Marketing Institute of Ireland and the Digital Marketing Institute. She is a Canva Community Canvassador, Linkedin Certified Marketing Insider and META Certified Community Manager..
Debbie supports, coaches, and trains businesses in Marketing, Social Media, Canva & WordPress along with her team, working with businesses at different stages of their journey.