66% of British shoppers are now more likely to shop locally

Since March 2020, the world has changed and in line with that, so have consumer behaviours.

During the height of the 2020 lockdowns, various campaigns conducted on local high streets and on social media like ‘Small Business Saturday’ were aimed at helping businesses to stay afloat and caused support for local enterprises to surge.  As a result and according to research recently conducted by Mastercard, two thirds (66%) of shoppers in the UK are now more likely to shop in their local communities than they were a year ago.  

This research also cited that the most popular reason for the increased love for shopping locally is to help local communities bounce back (49%). Over a quarter (27%) say they are shopping locally to re-establish or form new relationships with local shopkeepers and independent stores and one in five (20%) say their reason for shopping locally is that they trust recommendations from people in the community.  

Working from home is set to stay

Without meaning to go on and on about research (we like to base our blogs on facts), recent research by Accenture indicates that many workers will remain working from home for the long term.  Plus travellers have discovered that there is plenty to enjoy when it comes to a staycation.  With all of these factors put together, it is clear to see that consumer behaviour has become much more localised and appears to be here to stay.  

So, how does all this impact gift cards?  

As consumers increasingly shop locally, they will also look to give and receive gift cards that support their neighbourhood and reflect their own behaviour.  As a retailer, or leisure/hospitality operator, making your brand available as a gift card will ensure you can respond to this type of demand and benefit from the extra sales and potential new customers, especially in the lead up to Christmas 2021.

Furthermore, it’s not just consumers who will be looking for more local and independent gift card options, businesses and agencies will (and already are) becoming increasingly discerning about adding localised content to their reward, incentive, benefit and promotion programmes. Without a gift card, you are also cutting your business off from this potential sales channel.

Are you a small, local business who doesn’t know where to start when it comes to adding a digital gift card to your business?  Diggecard has a simple gift card solution that will be up and running within a few hours, enabling you to sell on your website or social media page, with simple management and redemption processes.  Find out more about how we can support your local business in the retailers section of our website, or contact the Diggecard team.