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Promoting local shopping

The Summerland Chamber of Commerce’s new #discoverhome campaign uses video and social media to encourage Summerlanders to shop locally.

The Summerland Chamber of Commerce’s new #discoverhome campaign, which was launched March 30, uses video and social media to encourage Summerlanders to shop locally.

The message is that there are far-reaching benefits which come as a result of keeping money circulating in the community.

The campaign has a positive tone as it encourages local shopping by showing the benefits throughout the community.

The videos feature a wide range of businesses and community organizations which benefit Summerland.

The timing, however, is a bit puzzling, since this initiative is being launched close to  the start of the peak tourism season.

This is the time of year when retailers, wineries and businesses in the hospitality and service sectors are working to attract visitors to the community.

While #discoverhome is a new initiative, it also has much in common with other local shopping promotions and initiatives, used by many other chambers of commerce.

Such campaigns encourage local shopping as a way of showing support for the community.

In the case of #discoverhome, the benefit is to organizations which serve the community.

According to information from the chamber, $68 out of every $$100 spent in the community will stay here. That’s a significant economic impact, and it can have some far-reaching effects on local organizations.

At the same time, an appeal based on hometown pride and community support by themselves are not enough.

Customers need tangible reasons for dealing with local businesses.

The most successful businesses consistently offer a good product, good service and good value for the money.

Businesses which understand this — and there are some shining examples around us — also succeed in attracting and retaining their customers.