.avif)
As the latest incarnation of business, the popularity of E-Commerce has exploded in the business community, allowing customers quick and easy access to quality products and services. Through easily accessible websites, booking systems and social media pages, a venture can build awareness, cultivate their brand and encourage development of a customer base. Though up until now, some small businesses haven't felt the need to move online, content with traditional, word-of-mouth marketing.
However, with the COVID-19 pandemic having fundamentally changed the way Canadian businesses must operate, the E-Commerce revolution is now progressing at breakneck speed. As customers have to make appointments and place orders for their products, the antiquated phone systems and paper slips many small businesses rely on are ineffective at handling this critical shift. As a result of this inadequacy, small businesses are having trouble competing with the infrastructure available to big business.
To combat this decline in performance, the BC Government launched a financial support program for small businesses entering the E-Commerce market, called Launch Online. That program let businesses invest in building a digital presence, improve logistics and make their services more available to customers than ever. Intake is now closed and the fund is fully allocated. This retrospective explains what the grant did and who it served.
What the Grant Offered
Launch Online connected eligible BC businesses with providers of web design services and E-Commerce development across British Columbia to grow their online presence. Funded services ranged from shopping cart capabilities to online inventory management and better presentation of a product catalogue. The grant covered up to 75% of eligible expenses, to a maximum of $7,500 per recipient. Recipients used it to hire service providers and specialists who established their online presence.
The program drew on a total provincial investment of $42M. Up to 30% of those funds were reserved for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) owned businesses and rural businesses.
Grant funding was restricted to the hiring of digital enterprises in British Columbia for the establishment of the E-Commerce site or booking system infrastructure. Certain online subscriptions and intangible fees incurred outside the province qualified, but the major work had to come from local providers.
RELATED: SEO Vancouver
Who Qualified
To qualify for the Launch Online Grant Program, a business had to meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Registered to do business in British Columbia
- Maintenance of:
- A Federal Business Number
- A GST Number
- A PST and WorkSafe BC Number
- Employment of up to 149 employees
- Minimum Sales of $30 000 in 2019 or 2020
- Either a lack of an Online Storefront or one that lacks critical features
- Either a lack of an Online Booking System or one that lacks critical features
How the Application Worked
The grant ran in three steps, as outlined on the portal at launchonline.ca.
First, every applicant submitted a grant proposal including a plan on how the funds would be allocated and a cost estimate detailing what was required. Eligible expenses included platform development, content writing, online courses and digital services provided within BC.
Next, the applicant completed the online application that confirmed eligibility and formally presented the E-Commerce proposal.
After submission, applicants heard back within about three weeks on whether the application was approved and how to access the funds.
Intake is now closed. Alacrity Canada administered the program, and the $42M was fully committed. Treat the details above as a record of what the program required, not a live application path.
RELATED: Search Engine Optimization Vancouver
Development for The Future
Looking at the current business environment, the integration of technology has become all but inevitable, with things like smartphone apps, support for mobile payment and engagement with customers via reviews gaining traction. These types of amenities are popular with consumers because of their simplification of doing business, offering ways to ensure product availability, pay without having to open their wallet or even reporting capabilities to make themselves heard by management.
Take PayPal, for example. When customers shop online, what are their top priorities? With cyberattacks and phishing being more common than ever, ensuring that their personal information remains secure is of the utmost importance. That said, they don't want to sacrifice convenience with long, arduous transactions, and will simply leave if buying something is excessively complicated. As a result, they are far more likely to purchase something from your website upon seeing that small lock icon on the address bar and the badge indicating that you support the service. Using one or more payment processing options would also maximize the number of customers that can shop on your website, allowing some who may prefer something like Cirrus or cryptocurrency to pay for your quality products and services.
Another excellent asset to invest in would be an online booking system. With so many businesses operating with limited floor space struggling to respect public health guidelines pertaining to store capacity, it has become the saving grace. If your business is able to manage when a customer enters and where/who ends up providing them the requested service, even these stringent regulations are but a bump in the road back to profitability. In addition to there only being a minimal impact, there's the added benefit of your business being "COVID-safe"' in the eyes of the public, as they can expect being one of only a few in the building at a time simply by virtue of your booking system.
In short, this grant helped small businesses build the critical online infrastructure they needed to remain competitive during the pandemic and to sustain operations going forward.
Launch Online is gone, and so is the federal program that followed it. The Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP), which offered a "Grow Your Business Online" microgrant and a larger "Boost Your Business Technology" grant, ended in 2024-2025. BC businesses still have paths to fund digital growth through provincial and municipal innovation and digital-adoption programs, and the mix changes year to year. Confirm current eligibility directly with the funding body before you plan around any program. Grants come and go. A strong online storefront pays back regardless of who funds the build.
What Can Twelverays Do to Help Me Improve My Online Business Plan?
The key to developing a strong online following in today's business environment is to think forward and outsmart the competition. With our talented team here at Twelverays, we seek to combine our advanced search engine optimization services and our intricate, modern digital marketing strategies to ensure that your business gets the high profile it deserves.
In the old days, marketing was a simple game, all you had to do was put a few signs up and get the word out. But today, the landscape has shifted with the introduction of social media as a means to directly tap into your target markets and reach customers at any time and any place. As you take your business online, Twelverays is the premier choice among digital agencies to gather meaningful insights, isolate popular trends and help you build your brand. Whether it be a strategy of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising, conducting consumer research or even building your internal analytics department, we are ready to serve your needs.
Take our Search Engine Optimization (SEO) service, for instance. When customers look to purchase a good or service, where do they start? Unless they're hunting for a very particular deal at a specific store, they're just typing exactly what they're looking for. Many don't realize what this initial search represents: the consumer swimming out into the open sea of fisherman that is the Internet, where many entrepreneurs seek to reel them in with a good deal. Much like with fishing, you're going to have a hard time if you try to draw in potential customers online without a plan, or better yet, make a catch without any bait. In other words, you could have the nicest, most well-functioning website but still have it get buried by all the big players on Google if it isn't geared properly. This is where we come in. With our best-in-class optimization specialists at the helm of your strategy, we can isolate which search trends are driven by your target market and position your website front and center through the inclusion of key words and design choices. This will ensure your business is as easily discoverable to the consumer as possible, reeling them in and improving your standing in the market.
In the end, the most important factor in any product strategy is brand awareness. If your product doesn't have any buzz surrounding it or any forum to promote itself, your venture can't reach the new heights the Internet makes possible. THAT is why we're here. At Twelverays, we believe that service isn't just a duty, but an art form. As a dedicated team, we will believe in your brand, craft a bold vision for its future, and work tirelessly to ensure that it can break the mold of your industry. With elite marketing management and proven CRM strategies to grow your business at your disposal, working with us is ANYTHING but business as usual.
Launch Online - https://launchonline.ca/
Launch Online News - https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021PREM0021-000496
