COVID-19 Micro-business E-commerce Grant

Up to £5K in funding for your business

Gekkoshot is a Supplier Supporting The New COVID E-Commerce Grant

Apply as soon as possible as the grant will close to applications when funding runs out.

For – Website Upgrade – New Website – SEO – Social Media Marketing

(5 min read)

Quick Call – 028 9521 9358

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The latest grant from the NI government is perfect for any business based in Northern Ireland who has been:

1. Trading for least 2 years
2. Has an existing online presence such as a basic business website, online marketplace or social media channels.
3. Your business has physical, retail premises in Northern Ireland (e.g. high street shop, sales/trade counter, etc).
4. If your business is not exclusively retail then more than 50% of your turnover must come from the retail part of your business

Its specifically designed to help micro-business retailers develop their sales online.

Eligible businesses will be able to receive a maximum grant of £5,000 towards up to 80% of eligible costs.

How it works

INVEST NI will reimburse successful applicants for 80% of the costs once the project has been completed.

Projects must have a minimum of £1,250 of eligible expenditure

So for example if you wanted to maximise the full grant available, a Digital Marketing Package costing £6250 would only cost you £1250.  On a smaller solution of £1000, £800 would be funded and you have only £200 to pay.  We will customise your package based on the best fit for your business.

The package can contain work to upgrade your current e-commerce website, create a new e-commerce website, help with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Social Media Marketing and paid social media ads.

At Gekkoshot we can give you a customised plan for all of the above with most clients finding this can cover 6 – 12 months of work based on their requirements.

Imagine, a new website and all your online digital marketing needs taken care of for the next few months and all funded up to 80% of cost.

This particular scheme is focused on micro-businesses retailers – those employing less than 10 people, with retail premises and which derive the majority of their turnover from retail customers.

The grant is specifically for helping micro-business retailers to pivot to online selling and grow their business online.

Some of the eligible activities covered by the scheme include:

Engaging the services of a supplier to review your current digital marketing capabilities and online sales channels, develop an e-commerce strategy,

In laymans terms, doing a full audit of how your business is making the most of selling online and giving you a customised plan thats perfect for your business. This plan will include Search Engine optimisation (SEO) to help drive traffic to your website and Social Media Marketing to help get your business noticed on social media.

Develop or enhance your e-commerce website or online presence to drive increased sales

At Gekkoshot we are e-commerce experts and work with some of NI’s largest online retailers. We have 14 years web design and development experience and we know how to engage with and convert your browsers to buyers!  Building or upgrading e-commerce websites is our expertise.

As a micro-sized retailer, you are eligible if:

• Your business operation is based in Northern Ireland.
• You are a micro-sized business, trading at least two years and employing less than 10 full-time equivalent staff in Northern Ireland.
• Your business has physical, retail premises in Northern Ireland (e.g. high street shop, sales/trade counter, etc).
• If your business is not exclusively retail then more than 50% of your turnover must come from the retail part of your business (i.e. you are not primarily a manufacturer or producer, etc).
• Your business has an existing online presence such as a basic business website, online marketplace or social media channels.
• Your business has a physical product, or a range of physical products, that can be sold online and shipped to customers.
• Your project is not receiving any other public funding such as government or European Union funding.
• You are able to complete your project, pay your supplier and make a claim within the next 6 months.

How to proceed

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✅ Or Get in touch with us today, we have offices in Banbridge and Belfast as we can give you helpful advice and guidance for your business and also how to apply for this grant.

✅ We will provide you with a customised quote made solely for the your business, one that will help your business succeed online in YOUR market.

✅ We will also help advise you in regards to your grant application

We recommend you apply as soon as possible as the grant will close to applications, either:

1. When the available budget is fully allocated: or
2. On the closing date of 6pm on Friday 12 March 2021, whichever comes first.

Full details on criteria, eligibility and Guidance Notes on how to apply are available on nibusinessinfo.co.uk/mbeg

Quick checker for Eligibility – https://www.investni.com/micro-business-e-commerce-grant

 

About the author:

Building websites and driving targeted traffic since 2006 If you need a new website for your business, or indeed need an existing site freshened up, we are your ‘go to’ team.