[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Shopping locally is easier than ever with Kijiji Village.  The new ‘Shop Local Businesses’ option aims to bring communities together, by bolstering small businesses with a new way to reach consumers.

In early April, the community-commerce driven platform created the Kijiji Village category to allow Canadians to find and support businesses in their area. They’ve now added a ‘Shop Local Businesses’ section within Kijiji Village. In order to qualify to be listed under ‘Shop Local Businesses’, the business must offer at least one of the following contactless payment or fulfillment options: 

• Curb-side pick up

  

• Drop-off or delivery

• Shipping

• Cashless payment.

Community Relations Manager of Kijiji Canada, Kent Sikstrom, said the addition was made to provide support during the pandemic.

“The world that we once knew can easily change. Nothing is necessarily set in stone. So from a business perspective, and as individual Canadians, we wanted to offer not just solidarity with a general message and no action, but to actually provide a platform through which Canadians could not only seek support, but offer it,” he said.

Under Kijiji Village, and more specifically the ‘Shop Local Businesses’ section, Sikstrom says that individuals and small and medium sized businesses are able to broadcast their services or offerings and find support from their communities.

Since the beginning of May, the initiative has seen great success. Over 125,000 new ads have been posted within Kijiji Village and the Shop Local Businesses section as the need to post community-based items has seen a great increase.  Especially since they doesn’t tailor to the usual Kijiji market of buying and selling things like cell phones, furniture and cars.

“To see 125,000 new listings in a month and a half shows that people are very mindful of the crisis, they understand the effects on their local communities and they are either looking for support, or they’re looking to help out in some way. So, it’s really great to see that vibrancy,” said Sikstrom.

He adds that the items offered on Kijiji have reflected the interests of people while they stay in quarantine. Since the pandemic started, they have seen an increase in categories like bicycles, gaming consoles, exercise equipment, sporting goods and work from home accessories.

For businesses looking to post a Shop Local Businesses advertisement, you can easily do so, as long as you meet the requirements of operation. If you’re looking to shop within your community, then you can easily find places that ensure tailored social distanced offerings.

Sikstrom says that Kijiji Village was meant to be temporary to help businesses during the pandemic, but is hopeful that the category will evolve as businesses begin to open up.

“I’m not sure what that will look like, since we’re living day to day,” he said. “But what we’ve seen and what we concluded is that there has really been an amazing engagement from the community as it concerns this new lifestyle. So, we’ll probably see different renditions of these features over time.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]