Ten Good Reasons to Buy Local

Have you considered the benefits – for you, your community and the environment – of buying local products and services? Here are ten good reasons to buy local.

Local Businesses Add to the Character of the Community

Local businesses form part of the fabric of your community. The range of bricks-and-mortar shops help to define the unique character of your local area. By supporting these small businesses, you are helping your community to thrive. In turn, you’re helping to make your area a desirable place to live. For home owners, a vibrant local community may even be reflected in the value of their home.

Local Businesses Support Other Local Businesses

Local business owners tend to invest a significant amount of their revenue back into the local community by making product or service purchases from other businesses in the area. So when you choose to support a local business, you’re strengthening the overall economy of your community.

Local Businesses Provide Local Job Opportunities

Local entrepreneurs will often choose to hire employees who live locally as they can offer a stronger connection with the community than those from further afield.

Local Businesses Support Local Causes

Many local business owners will champion local causes, providing valuable donations of money or wares to schools, community groups and not-for-profit organisations.

Local Businesses Provide Superior Customer Service

Local business owners and their staff recognise the importance of their customers. In many local businesses, the owner, who is of course deeply invested in the success of their business, is customer facing. Even where the owner is not present in day-to-day interactions with customers, the staff are usually well trained to offer excellent customer care.

Local Businesses Can Help to Inform Customers

Local business owners and their staff are often highly knowledgeable about their product or service offering. When buying locally, customers can learn more about the products and services offered and make more informed purchasing choices. Sometimes, when supporting a local business, customers can simply learn something interesting about the product line, the background of the business or the local area. When a customer gives repeat business to a local entrepreneur, a personal connection may even be forged.

Local Businesses Can Offer a Personalised Approach

Local enterpreneurs and their staff take the time to get to know their customers’ needs and preferences. This might mean holding a product for a valued customer without a lay-by, allowing a customer to try a product before committing to a sale, or sourcing – or even creating – a particular product for a particular customer that is not usually offered. Some local businesses choose to reward their regular customers with unexpected discounts or other perks.

Local Businesses May Provide Superior Quality

Local business owners are usually passionate about the products and services they offer. They will have invested a large amount of time into ensuring the quality of their offering. Their products are likely to be Australian made or even crafted within the local area.

Local Businesses Offer Greater Diversity

While larger companies may be able to provide greater product volume or service availability, local businesses will usually have a more diverse offering that is tailored to their local customer base.

Local Businesses Can Reduce Environmental Impact

Frequenting a local bricks-and-mortar store or sourcing a service from a local provider can reduce the need for private transportation, thereby helping the environment. Many local businesses will also source their products and components from the local community or within Australia, also reducing the environmental impact of freighted goods.

Want to buy local but don’t know where to start? Check out the extensive range of local businesses – some 350 in all – featured in the Inner West Mums Business Directory!
Here’s what two businesses in the directory have to say about the Inner West Mums’ community.
‘The Inner West Mums have been truly phenomenal at supporting our business, Ladies Running Errands. The constant, repeat business from IWM, word-of-mouth recommendations to their friends, within mothers’ groups and amongst the FB group, has allowed us to grow to a point where our humble little start-up is now a franchise. The collective power of the IWM means it is a group you want to get your business name in front of. We have had amazing ROI from our ads on IWM website.
– Zoe, Ladies Running Errands

‘The Inner West Mums group has brought together old and new clients and friends from the past 20 years of our wedding and portrait business, Milk & Honey Photography. It is the most invaluable resource for me personally and for our business too!’
– Anni, Milk & Honey Photography
If you’d like to advertise your local business in the Inner West Mums Business Directory, you can find out more here:
http://www.theinnerwestmums.com.au/faqs

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