Grow Your Business Online
Bring your store online in as little as two weeks with ShopHERE powered by Google. You’ll get a customized website, hands-on assistance, and training and tools to build, launch, and manage your online store—at no cost to you. The ShopHERE powered by Google program is being delivered by Halifax Partnership in collaboration with Digital Main Street.
What Your Business Gets
If you are a small local business in the retail or manufacturing sectors based in Halifax, ShopHERE offers the opportunity to build your digital presence by developing and launching a free online store.
As a business you will get:
- Customized online store with your business’s information, branding, and logo. ShopHERE will help you select the most appropriate e-commerce solution for your business’s goals, between the Shopify and Square Online platforms.
- 1-to-1 help and tools to set up and launch your online store.
- Training in digital marketing, shipping, inventory management, and more.
Does your business qualify?
ShopHERE is currently open to small local businesses that meet the following requirements:
- A registered business based in Halifax
- Operating in the retail or manufacturing sectors
- Have a commercial location or home-based
- Fewer than twenty-five employees
- Must have a fully developed, sales-ready, scalable product
- Not a corporate chain or franchise
- Must be willing to commit time to onboard and maintain websites
How it Works
The whole process can take between two to six weeks and you will be guided through the following steps:
Step 1
Sign Up & Approval
Step 2
Online Store Development
Step 3
Online Review & Launch
Step 4
Training & Support
Program Partners
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
There are up to 100 spots available. Eligible businesses will be accepted into the program on a first-come-first-serve, rolling basis.
No, there is no cost to participate thanks to the generous support of Atlantic Canadian Opportunities Agency and other public and private partners.
The program includes the entire online store
construction, training and marketing support. Ecommerce Coordinators can build online stores via
Shopify or Square and will walk participants through each platform and help you
decide which is right for your business. Shopify is offering a 90-day free
trial of their Basic Plan. There are various paid options following. Square
offers both free and paid plans.
Interested businesses must apply online. Businesses who meet the following requirements will then be accepted into the program on a first-come-first-serve, rolling basis:
- Are based in Halifax
- Have a commercial location or is home-based
- Have fewer than twenty-five employees
- Are not a corporate chain or franchise
Participants will work with their ShopHERE Helpers two-to-six times. The program is expected to take between two-to-six weeks total.
Other Resources
Additional tools and resources offered by our partners to help your
business reach new clients, diversify income streams, and increase resilience, can be found at the following links:
Keep up with the latest trends in retail
- The RISE Retail Program by the David Sobey Centre is a learning series designed for retail executives and managers to help navigate the challenges brought forward by the pandemic and to enable retail companies to take advantage of the opportunities ahead.
- Saint Mary's University will be hosting a Retail Panel Discussion and Q&A with Leading Senior Executives with leaders in the retail industry, who will share their challenges and journey as a business owner working through a pandemic.
Learn more about digital marketing
- Digital Nova Scotia's Digital Marketing Basics Training series is hosted by top-tier facilitators from Nova Scotia on improving web presence, finding customers online, social media, and e-commerce.
Access easy-to-use digital tools
- The Halifax Chamber of Commerce's Business Recovery Project is a training program focused on supporting businesses by providing digital tools they can use for operations, logistics, and automated marketing.
Update technology and process
- Nova Scotia Business Inc.'s Digital Adoption Program supports Nova Scotia businesses to rapidly adopt digital tools and innovations, upgrade machinery and equipment, and create industrial automation and digital supply chain implementations. This program offsets the cost of building or improving a business’s online presence through financial incentives.