Although the modern approach is to order goods and services online from businesses near and far, there is a lot of good that can be done by sticking to those businesses that are a little closer to home. It is not just about what you as a business owner will get out of the deal, but also how your community will benefit as well.
#1 More Personal Service
You will likely get a more personal service from the business down the road than you ever will from one where you will only be faced with a website. This is because you will be more than just a customer number. If take the time to pop in and see those that you will be dealing with you will be providing your business with a face.
Starting a friendly business relationship in this way has its perks. You will find that you will be recommended other services businesses in your local area offer, so you will be able to network, all the time receiving the recommendations and level of service that you feel you should have.
#2 Support the Local Economy
There is no doubt that by keeping your purchasing close to home you will be supporting your local economy. This will ensure that those around you stay in business and you will find that you all start to support each other, building a little community within your business neighborhood.
This can be essential when dealing with so many issues, such as localized crime, being able to share parking lots, or combining forces to save money with shipments or zoned delivery slots.
#3 Make Use of Additional Services
Of course, there are additional services that can be taken advantage of by staying local, even if you are still utilizing a large brand. Take for instance your local petrol station. It is very unlikely that it is an individual player and more than likely it is part of a franchise company or owned outright by a large business such as BP, Esso, or Shell. Although, the supermarkets own plenty themselves.
However, you can still support these local businesses (as well as your own business) by applying for a fuel card. There are multiple bonuses to be had by obtaining a shell fuel card, for your business, such as discounted fuel prices, an online account, and spending tracking to name a few. Providing each of your drivers with one of these cards, all linked to your fuel card account will mean that you only get billed once a month for all of your fuel spending.
#4 Boost Local Employment
With more and more people choosing to shop online rather than stay loyal to local businesses, there are more and more businesses struggling to survive or facing closure. Although you may feel that this is not necessarily your problem as you, too, have customers shopping with you from further afield, there can be a knock-on effect with employment, investment in your local area, and the rise of organized crime.
Keeping your support to mainly local businesses, you will be adding to the boost in local employment and the desirability of your local neighborhood. This should drive down the amount of crime within your area as there will be enough stable employment to go around.
Not only this, but it will encourage young, educated individuals to settle in the area and, therefore, keeping businesses full of enthusiasm and current knowledge.
To Wrap It All Up
Supporting local businesses within your area is a good idea. It will keep money in the area, support a growing community and help boost employment. There are also additional services that you can take advantage of, such as fuel cards which will not only help your business but also those service station owners that are supplying you.
Being a regular customer with businesses that know your face will provide you with a much better customer experience as you will be seen as a person rather than a customer number, and you may find that there are perks to this kind of relationship as well. However, this is not to say that you should abandon those businesses that you support further afield but look into whether you can do better for a more local alternative.