Local is Leka, say Local Traders as they shift online
Friday, 26th June 2020
In the backdrop of the first virtual National Arts Festival, local arts and crafts traders have taken advantage of the online shopping craze to carve out an income for themselves. They are doing this with an online trendy and interactive trading hub called TRADE at Home, going live on Saturday, 27 June.
TRADE at Home's, Tracy Jeffery said they hosted a soft launch in May when the country was still in hard lockdown.
"It was a time when small market traders and creative shops and businesses were unable to trade and therefore unable to make any income at all."
Jeffery said TRADE at Home was created to fill the gap between traditional online e-commerce shopping sites and weekend morning markets where creative traders would set up a table for the day and sell their work.
"We want to offer a safe, community atmosphere for our visitors and traders. A place where you can browse beautiful creatives and art, made by hand in our area", Jeffery said.
She added: "The unexpected bonus of our online virtual market is of course the ability to get our local traders seen far and wide. We are no longer limited by geography and courier services are fully operational again".
This online trading space which is hosted on the Facebook platform through TRADE at Home's page also allows for a group of friends to 'meet up' and shop together, amplifying their customer experience even more. They will not only have a chance to interact with traders but also with each other using the comments sections on the group and even through the social mediums that organised them to 'meet up' such as WhatsApp or Zoom.
The market launches on Saturday, 27 June. Click here to enter this trendy hub and enjoy creative products and art from traders that are from Makhanda and surrounding areas.
"Make yourself a cup of coffee, head to the couch, browse products on offer and you can still ask your friend if the colour suits you," Jeffery said encouraging everyone to go online and support local business.
TRADE at Home goes live every last Saturday of every month. If you are a business and want to gain some exposure using TRADE at Home, Tracy Jeffery shows you how:
- Applicants must have a general knowledge of Facebook and Facebook groups. Preference is given to people who already have a Facebook page for their work.
- We look for quality, handmade items and local artists. You must live in Makhanda or surrounding areas.
- Applicants need to be able to be online for the whole day of the market and also keep tabs on the groups after the day in case of late sales.
- We try to keep our standards high to show off the best of our local creativity and create a safe place for our visitors to browse and shop quality products and enjoy our comfortable atmosphere.
