British shoppers are being urged to “shop local” with the launch of a smartcard-based loyalty scheme for market traders, as part of the fight back against out-of-town malls which have decimated the British high street.
Bolton Council is the first to sign up for the scheme – run by sQuid – which is designed to secure the future of the market by providing a fresh way for customers to engage with traders and to be rewarded for their loyalty.
Employing the latest contactless smart card technology and electronic loyalty, the pilot scheme is being trialled for six months with ten of the market traders.
Local celebrity chef Aazam Ahmad will help to launch the scheme this week; it offers 10% cashback each time a card-holder purchases from a participating trader. The plan is to extend the scheme to all of the market traders when the pilot has been assessed.
Cards can be registered online, and when they register account holders can also opt to be notified about special offers and deals from Bolton Market and the traders taking part.
Councillor Akthar Zaman, Bolton Council’s executive member for environmental services, commented: “We believe that this is the first scheme of its kind in the country and one that incentivises local people to support local producers and businesses.
“This initiative continues to demonstrate the Council’s commitment to Bolton Market and I am aware that the outcomes from the trial are eagerly anticipated by the industry as a whole.”
sQuid already operates a number of payment and loyalty schemes in Bolton, with the Council, University, College and Arriva buses as well as local retailers.
Marketing director Bede Feltham added: “It’s great to see another application of sQuid in Bolton and we’re glad to be part of this loyalty-based initiative at Bolton Market.
“sQuid’s unique integrated payments and loyalty network is a great way to help local retailers build valuable relationships with their customers. We look forward to seeing this grow.”
