Online Trading Vouchers

Build Your Brand Online with our Trading Online Voucher

If you have a small business, with 10 or fewer employees and less than €2m in revenue, that has little or no capacity to trade online, the Trading Online Voucher is the perfect way for you to Build Your Brand.

The trading online voucher is an initiative which aims to support small Irish businesses to enhance their online trading presence. TRADING ONLINE VOUCHERS to the value of €2,500 (90% of eligible costs up to the maximum of €2,500)  are now available through this programme under the National Digital Strategy funded through the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and delivered through the Local Enterprise Office. The objective of the scheme is to help small businesses build their brand, grow their sales, exports and ultimately jobs.  

In addition, we have developed an initiative that will provide Kildare businesses with the opportunity to make the move to online sales in a free of charge, quick and user-friendly way. Our new online Kildare eCommerce platform, Shop County Kildare

Please Note:

Please note only those applications received complete with 3 quotes will be considered by the board for approval.

Businesses who previously benefited from the Trading Online Voucher Scheme can now apply for a second voucher of up to €2,500.

the co-funding requirement to apply for a TOV has been substantially reduced from 50% to 10%.

Funding is provided by the LEO of the area in which the business operates and provides employment - If the case is that the business is registered in Kildare, but operates in Dublin for example, the business will be funded by and must submit the application to Dublin. 

Drawing down:

Applicants must now drawdown from the funding allocation within 4 months.

(For clients approved since 8th June - the longer drawdown period of 9 months has been suspended for this phase).

 

What are the benefits of developing online trading capabilities?

There are a whole host of benefits to be accrued from developing your online trading capabilities. For example, a study of 501 Irish SME’s in 2015 indicated that:

  • 68% can’t process payments online
  • 51% had no social media presence
  • Only 4 percent of businesses had analytics capability

Now is your chance to build your brand whilst also gaining a competitive advantage through the use of online trading.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Voucher approval must be gained prior to incurring any expense
  • Own labour is not an eligible expense
  • Third party costs only will be considered
  • All third party/supplier invoices must contain proper business details (e.g. Tax and Business Registration details).

Eligible Projects

  • no more than 10 employees;
  • less than €2m in turnover;
  • be trading for at least 6 months and
  • be located in Kildare

Ineligible Projects

  • Companies with charitable status, commercial semi-state companies, trade associations and company representation bodies such as Chambers of Commerce are not eligible to participate in the scheme
  • "Not for profit" and social entrepreneurship applicants unless they operate in a commercial domain 
  • Professional services specialising in IT type services who are already capable of trading online using existing in-house systems
  • Conferences and Seminars
  • Projects which are contrary to public policy
  • Duplication of support for projects which would be eligible for assistance from other State Agencies of EU funded Operational Programmes
  • Projects deemed to be capable of proceeding in any event without scheme assistance i.e. deadweight
  • Projects essentially comprising importation and distribution

What the vouchers can be used for

  • IT consultation
  • Development or upgrade of an e-commerce website
  • Implementing Online payments or booking systems
  • Purchase of internet-related software
  • Purchase of online advertising (this purchase cannot make up any more than 30% of approved Voucher costs and can only be drawn down in one payment phase)
  • Developing an app (or multiplatform webpages)
  • Implementing a digital marketing strategy i.e. Social media marketing
  • Consultation with ICT experts for early stage adopters of online strategy
  • Training/skills development specifically to establish and manage an online trading activity

What the vouchers cannot be used for

  • Development of brochure websites
  • Purchase of non-internet related software
  • Anything other than online trading related activity

Businesses that participated in the scheme reported that, on average they saw their sales increase by 20%, with an 80% jump in sales leads and 3 in 5 exporting for the first time.  

For many businesses, the question is not whether to trade online, it’s how to start.  At least 2,000 small businesses have found answers to that question and a helping hand to take that step through the TOV Scheme. Some of them are your competitors.

How To Apply

In order to apply for a Trading Online Voucher, it is necessary to first attend a TOV information seminar, which will provide all the details as to how to apply and also how to best use and gain value from the voucher to support your trading online proposition.

Information sessions cover various topics, including developing a website, digital marketing, social media for business and search engine optimisation. The information provided is impartial and will help you decide on what trading online options, are right for your business. 

Book your place on our next Trading Online Voucher seminar here.

MAKING A SUBMISSION: 

  • 3 Quotes are essential for each component of the project
  • Funding is provided by the LEO of the area in which the business operates and provides employment - If the case is that the business is registered in Kildare, but operates in Dublin for example, the business will be funded by and must submit the application to Dublin. 
  • Applications must be signed - even if this means scanning or taking a photo of the pages requesting a signature.

More Information

If you would like to find out more about the online trading voucher contact us on 045 980 838 or email localenterprise@kildarecoco.ie

Acknowledgements   

The trading online scheme is an initiative of the National Digital Strategy, funded by the Department of Communication, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR).

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