Working in the hardware business, you spend your time understanding the nuts and bolts of what your customers want.
Your expertise is knowing what’s needed for the job. From DIY garden projects to complete house builds and everything in between, you’ve got the knowledge and the products to help.
To help you further understand consumer habits in Ireland, payments experts Elavon commissioned a survey* about the strength of feeling towards independent business. And there’s good news for small business.
Across Ireland, local independent business is hugely popular. In an online survey of 1,000 adults, two thirds said shopping locally and supporting local business is important to them. Even more, 72% of adults, said they wanted to support their community by shopping locally.
In the survey, conducted by Yonder on behalf of Elavon, adults aged 18 and over were asked whether they agreed or not to a range of shopping locally statements.
Paul Dunne, Head of Sales in Ireland at Elavon Europe, said: “If you’re an independent shop owner, this independence could be your secret weapon. With two thirds of people saying shopping locally is important to them, it’s clearly something that needs highlighting”.
“Make the most of it by working with your community. Being able to direct customers to the right place when you can’t help them is a really simple way of increasing loyalty”.
“And, of course, that can be mutually beneficial if you’re supporting another local, independent business.”
Elavon also wanted to know how or even if people actively sought out local businesses. Alarmingly, more than two thirds of adults said they didn’t know where to look.
Here is your call to action. Make it clear in any signage or on your website (or both!) that you’re an independent, local business. Word of mouth is always crucial and you’re supporting a network of tradespeople, who could all be acting as spokespeople. But you know this.
So, while it can be daunting competing with the big chains, take heart in knowing that most people want to see a thriving high street and that we all benefit from choice.
To talk more about payments and what Elavon can do to support your business, please contact Peter Cooke: peter.cooke@elavon.com or +353 (0) 871676215.
- Yonder conducted an online sample of 1,002 adults 18+ in Ireland between 27 February and 1 March 2024. Data is weighted to be representative of the known population of Ireland. Yonder is a founding member of the member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
U.S. Bank Europe DAC. Registered in Ireland – Number 418442. Registered Office: Block F1, Cherrywood Business Park, Dublin 18, D18 W2X7, Ireland. U.S. Bank Europe DAC, trading as Elavon Merchant Services, is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
