ZERO-COST ONLINE PLATFORM TO HELP BUSINESSES IN IRELAND ADVERTISE THEIR PRODUCTS AND REACH A WIDER AUDIENCE
New initiative from DBI and humm by flexifi is a timely boost for Irish retailers.
Digital Business Ireland (DBI) has teamed up with leading consumer finance company, humm by flexifi, to launch an ecommerce solution for Irish retailers and businesses. Marketplace by humm is an online platform designed for the placement of goods and products and is fully equipped to take orders and process payments. It offers businesses, without this capability, a turnkey solution.
humm by flexifi, a subsidiary of ASX-listed flexigroup, has been operating in the Irish market for over twelve years providing instalment payment plans to consumers shopping with retailers, both in store and online. Leveraging this expertise and knowledge of the retail market, humm by flexifi has developed its Marketplace to give Irish retailers and businesses access to the lucrative online market.
CEO of Digital Business Ireland, Lorraine Higgins, said: “In partnership with humm by flexifi, Digital Business Ireland is delighted to offer Irish retailers and businesses an opportunity to join Marketplace by humm thereby giving them access to more Irish consumers while negating the costs of establishing a website. Currently 47% of all online spend by Irish consumers, is going overseas and we need to do more to increase the share flowing to Irish businesses.”
“This initiative is timely as we head into the busy Christmas period when the opportunities to shop in person will be limited. The latest Central Statistics Office figures show that Irish shoppers doubled their online purchases in the first half of the year. With the country in lockdown, the change in buying habits was most obvious in April when online sales increased by 500% compared to the previous year. The trend continued into May but reversed in June as lockdown restrictions were lifted and shoppers re-engaged with their favourite local shops. This shows the pressing need for Irish retailers to adopt an omni channel, Bricks and Clicks, business model.”
“We know that it can be difficult, and expensive, for retailers and businesses to pivot to an online sales channel. Our collaboration with humm by flexifi, is a response to that and gives these businesses access to the infrastructure in a way that minimises their investment.”
CEO of humm by flexifi PJ Byrne, said: “Marketplace by humm offers businesses a turnkey ecommerce solution. Ecommerce presents unlimited opportunities, and we hope that the Marketplace platform will mark the first step for many businesses on this journey. Last year online retail sales in Ireland increased by 17% compared to 14.7% across Europe and 13% globally. This faster than average growth in Ireland, compared to the rest of the world, shows that Irish consumers are embracing the online shopping experience. It is important that Irish retailers, and businesses, secure as much of this business as possible.”
“Since the start of the pandemic Irish consumers, who have done most of their online shopping with Irish SMEs, say they have done so out of a sense of solidarity and a desire to support Irish businesses. Marketplace by humm makes it possible for retailers and businesses, that do not have an online capability, to access a ready to go solution. From both the customer’s, and the retailer’s, perspective, this is a win-win proposition.“
“DBI, and humm by flexifi, are aware of the challenges facing Irish retailers and businesses at this extraordinary time and we urge those without an online presence to get in touch with us without delay.”
ENDS
About Marketplace
The Marketplace can be visited by clicking on marketplace.humm.ie
Sign-up process for retailers
- Visit marketplace.humm.ie
- Click “sign up today”
- Complete the form and submit
- Once it is received, a member of the Marketplace team will get in touch in order to acquire further details of products e.g. listings, payment gateway, pricing.
- Once the sign-up process is complete retailers are ready to sell and transact their goods
- Retailer gets an email notification on orders to fulfil. They can also review their personalised dashboard to analyse orders
No responses yet