The exceptional contribution of small businesses to our economy is given too little weight. However, Small Business Week is specially designed to showcase them. Yellow Pages is a proud supporter of this initiative. For more than a century, it has been supporting Canadian local businesses. In 2013, Yellow Pages launched Shop The Neighbourhood to showcase local small businesses. Yellow Pages is also grateful for the support of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce in this event-driven campaign, as they share the same mission.
With the event day sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, a day that Canadians would normally be shopping online or across the border, we were able to best demonstrate the larger impact our dollars can have locally, and the positive benefits to our local economies. In 2014, the initiative generated impressive economic spinoffs of $3.1 million in Ontario alone.
Shop The Neighbourhood is a great day of local shopping that will take place Saturday November 28, and is preceded by a six-week awareness campaign. It offers exclusive deals available at local businesses on event day, through the YP Shopwise app during the month of November.
Shop The Neighbourhood is an opportunity for businesses to take advantage of free digital exposure as online presence is no longer a window of opportunity for small businesses, but rather a reality to embrace. In addition to offering small businesses the visibility they deserve, this initiative provides the tools they need to post their promotion online, to develop their online presence and to make sure they connect with potential customers online. As such, the YP Shopwise app will offer customers a one of a kind experience by locating participating businesses and by putting all their exclusive deals together.
On November 28, Yellow Pages invites you to join in the festivities and be part of this initiative, as thousands of Canadians will. There are many ways to support local businesses. For example, you can spread the word among your customers, register for the event, or put yellow decorations during the Shop The Neighbourhood event. For more information, visit www.shoptheneighbourhood.ca.
This week is all about small businesses, and we hope it will match your contribution to our communities.
– From all of us at Shop The Neighbourhood
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