BAY CITY, MI - A creative push to boost local businesses during the pandemic paid off - over $100,000 was raised for Bay County economy through a gift card stimulus program,
The Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and Bay Future joined forces in June to develop a gift card stimulus program called “Buy BC”, which was short for Buy Bay County. The program aimed to offer consumers additional purchasing power at area businesses while providing an influx of cash to the local economy.
“The goal of this program was to encourage our community members to continue to support their local businesses in the retail, restaurant, and service industries by purchasing Buy BC gift cards," said Ryan Tarrant, president of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. “The benefit for consumers was the ability to stretch their dollars by receiving an incentive for shopping local.”
The program allowed customers to buy gift cards from local businesses by providing an additional 25% to any purchased gift certificates through the program for the selected business at no added expense to the purchaser or business. For example, a customer could purchase a $25 gift card for $20 and the business would be cut a check through the program for the remaining costs, ensuring that their bottom line would stay steady and not be impacted.
Over 70 businesses in the retail, restaurant and service industries participated in the program, according to Bay Future, and nearly 5,000 electronic gift cards were sold in total. Gift cards that were purchased during the program can still be redeemed until their expiration dates. Bay Future stated in a press release that $120,000 was injected into small businesses in Bay County thanks to the program.
Trevor Keyes, president and cheif executive officer of Bay Future said, "We have seen firsthand the financial hardship many of our Bay County small businesses have experienced. The success of the Buy BC program is encouraging and we’re thankful for both the sponsors of the program and the community members who participated by purchasing gift cards and spending their dollars locally,”
The participating Bay County businesses expressed their gratitude for the program and the boost they received.
“There have been lots of really good things going on in the community to assist businesses since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Ray VanMullekom, owner of Latitude 43 in Bay City. "The Buy BC program is a major part of that. I’m appreciative of the existing and new customers who have utilized this program.”
In Pinconning, Tipsy Cowboy owner Tina Goodman explained how the program was important as a county-wide initiative and how the program helped her business get back on its feet after the shutdown.
“When we applied for the Buy BC program we weren’t sure what it entailed," she said. "I just knew customers could get a $25 gift card for $20. What it did was promote us across all Bay County and people throughout the community learned who we were because of the marketing program Bay Future and the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce put together. It gave customers an added benefit to come try us out and we didn’t have to reduce our profits for them to receive that.”
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