Chamber Executive Director Lisa Kowalchuk discusses the ShopHERE program with partners APEX Alberta, Medicine Hat & District Chamber of Commerce, Invest Medicine Hat, and Google Canada (photo courtesy Colton Mckee) 

By Chantal Wagner

ShopHERE

Partners announce Google Canada program to get local businesses online

Jul 13, 2020 | 12:17 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Local small businesses in Medicine Hat have the chance to showcase their products and services online at no cost to start up.

And the goal is to have 250 Medicine Hat local businesses online by the end of the year.

The ShopHERE powered by Google program was announced today by many partners.

APEX Alberta, Medicine Hat and District Chamber of Commerce, Invest Medicine Hat, and Google Canada are part of the collaboration and was announced on Monday, July 13.

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Businesses have the opportunity to build a website at no cost.

The first three months are also free.

After that businesses pay a $30 dollar Shopify fee to maintain the website online.

The program has skilled students from Medicine Hat and across the country build an online store for local businesses.

Chamber Executive Director Lisa Kowalchuk says it’s open to all businesses, non-profits, and artists.

“One of the challenges that businesses have is time. We hear it time and again where businesses want to get online, they want an online presence, they just don’t have the capacity or the money to be able to do so. And so what this program does is provides them the opportunity to get online for free. And they have the Shopify platform to be able to showcase their products and services.”

Medicine Hat is the first municipality outside of Ontario to join the digital ShopHERE powered by Google program. The program started in Toronto.

In May, Google announced a $1-million investment to enable Digital Main Street to expand the program to municipalities across the country, offering more businesses the opportunity to build their own online store.

The partners, APEX Alberta, Medicine Hat and District Chamber of Commerce, Invest Medicine Hat, and Google Canada will then further the marketing efforts to promote the local businesses.

Businesses can apply by following this link.