It’s no secret that here at WAPPoint we’re big on supporting local. Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase too. But what are the real benefits of supporting local small businesses and why should you care?

It turns out, shopping local can have a profound impact on the shopper, business owner and the community as a whole. It can also cause a powerful change in our outlook of big companies, for the better. Here are a few reasons why you should start supporting your local entrepreneurs.

1. Unique products

Have you ever walked into a popular restaurant only to find someone wearing the exact same shirt as you? Cringe. 

Big businesses make products in bulk and on a mass scale, often choosing and copying trends on the rise. The aim is to make as many carbon copies of each item, in the hope that more people will buy it for maximum sales.

The difference is that with small businesses, you’ll find unique products that are made on a small scale. Often these products are hand-made with love, care and time. Small, local entrepreneurs put thought into their customers and build a product that they will enjoy. This takes real skill, experience, creativity and a lot of time. Take Pepper Mills, for example.

2. It’s not always about the money

As mentioned, big corporations often only have high-profit figures in sight, leading to mass-produced products. This often means big businesses compromise on the quality of materials or even underpay their staff.

But while big businesses are thinking about high turning profits, small businesses often start their brand on the foundation of passion. They’re passionate about what they do, putting quality into their products or services.

When supporting local business owners, you can enjoy benefits that you can’t get from big national companies. This means that by supporting local, you are receiving a much more valuable product or service.

3. Help create jobs

In South Africa, our unemployment rate is at an all-time high, and it just keeps on increasing. But as an individual, there’s nothing you could possibly do to change that though, right? Wrong.

Entrepreneurs help decrease our high employment rate and help build our economy in a big way. By choosing to shop local, you keep small business doors open, put food on the table for families and contribute to our employment problem.

4. Better customer service

When it comes to big businesses, you’re just a number. Think standing in a queue waiting to exchange a product, or worse, being on hold for hours on a customer care line.

With local businesses, they are often open to suggestions and feedback from their customers. This is because they know it helps their business grow and scale when they can improve areas that need attention. If there’s ever an issue, it’s likely that the business owner will speak to you directly and ensure that you remain a happy customer.

But our favourite part about supporting local is that if you support a company often enough, it’s likely that they’ll begin to know who you are personally. That means they can even tailor products specifically to your liking or have your regular order waiting at the exact time you usually purchase.

5. A personal touch

Supporting local means you can get to know the people behind a product or brand and even enjoy a connection with the business owner. Who knows, perhaps you’ll even make a friend.

When you buy from big corporations you don’t know exactly who or where your money is going to. Perhaps you’re not even supporting our South African economy? It’s food for thought.

Other ways to support local businesses

Supporting local doesn’t just stop at purchasing. There are many other ways you can help, such as following them on social media and sharing or liking posts. If you know someone you think will be interested in what the businesses does, why not mention it to them at your next dinner party?

Think about eating at local restaurants, joining a local gym, getting your car serviced at your local mechanic, buying a birthday gift at a local store, or flowers from a street vendor. Good people support other good people. Let’s not make the rich, richer, let’s help support the local businesses in our community.

Let’s help grow businesses together

If you’re like us, it’s likely that you celebrate when your favourite local business succeeds and you mourn when it’s forced to shut its doors. If this rings true for you, think about all the different ways you can help support that business and its success.

Do you want to keep supporting your favourite local brands? Perhaps you’d like to turn your own passion into a profit? 

We can help get your business up and running with a merchant service that’s quick, efficient, easy to use and most importantly, won’t let you down. Check out our blog for more helpful ways to grow your business.

If you’d like to learn more about how WAPPoint can help facilitate growth for your business, give us a call. Or better, let us call you back!