Global online sales hit 4.9 Trillion US dollars in 2021, with those numbers expected to double by the year 2025. Having an online shop is far from just a novelty, it can become an essential revenue stream for any business that embraces e-commerce. The ever increasing consumer demand for 24/7 shopping makes it easier than ever to achieve a favourable return on investment.
Enterprise Ireland (on behalf of the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment) has launched another call for 2023 the Online Retail Scheme allowing businesses to claim up to €25,000 to enhance their online presence. This helps businesses reduce the financial risks and capital investment needed for online expansion.
The Online retail Scheme was originally created in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on retail businesses. The scheme is designed to help Irish businesses further develop their online presence to give more competitive offers to their customers. A total prize fund of €3.4 million is being offered in 2023.
This current call for applications opened on 4th April 2023 with a final closing date of 03rd May 2023 at 12 pm. There is a high level of interest so this deadline will be strictly followed.
Businesses who apply for the first time and are successful can claim up to 50% of the eligible costs for their project. The maximum expenditure is €50,000, therefore you can claim up to €25,000 at 50%. If you’ve been successful in previous calls for applications you can still apply..
Note: The minimum project expenditure is €20,000, any less and you will be considered ineligible.
The grant may be used towards an external service provider to develop a digital strategy and/or further develop the company website or online presence. In house training provided by the service provider for the online retail operation is also eligible. For example training for CMS (content management system), SEO, e-commerce systems etc.
An internal champion for the company must be selected who will oversee the project with the external provider(s). The salary costs of the selected champion are eligible under the grant.
There are a number of criteria that you must meet to be eligible for the online retail scheme. These include but are not limited to:
If you have already successfully applied to a previous call once before you can re-apply as long as the previous project has been extensively completed and you are proposing a different project to undertake.
In order to apply to the online retail scheme you must complete the following:
You can also register for one of Enterprise Irelands’ online retail scheme webinars to find out more about the application process. Follow the link below for more information from Enterprise Ireland.
If you don’t qualify for the online retail scheme you may still have the option to apply for the trading online voucher. Check out our Trading online article to learn more!
If you don’t qualify for support, you can still contact us for a free consultation. No matter the size of your business, we can tailor a package to suit you. Why not check out some of our recent work.
Initiate has proven experience in providing end to end online e-commerce solutions for our clients. We have a team ready to take you through the stages of research, strategy, design and creation right through to final training on your bespoke e-commerce platform. Whatever stage you are at we can help you grow your business online, contact us today!
Thousands of businesses have already availed of funding supports to get online. Book a free consultation with Initiate today to discuss how we can help you join them!