Turn your city into a
closed-loop local economy.
ShopLocally is a local-first payment and rewards app that lets shoppers convert cash into local credits, spend them at participating businesses, and unlock big savings—while merchants pay lower fees and keep more money in the community.
-
Shoppers earn multipliers and bonuses for supporting local businesses.
-
Businesses pay less than traditional payment processors and can optionally earn higher yields by leaving funds in the system.
-
Every transaction keeps money cycling through your city’s own micro-economy instead of leaking to big banks.
Three simple steps to a local-first economy.
ShopLocally turns ordinary spending into a powerful economic loop that supports local jobs, local business owners, and local growth — all through one simple app.
For local shoppers
-
✓
Convert cash or card into credits inside the app and unlock instant multipliers for supporting local.
-
✓
Spend credits at any participating ShopLocally business — restaurants, salons, boutiques, services, and more.
-
✓
Track how much you’ve saved, how many local shops you’ve supported, and how much value has stayed in your city.
For local businesses
-
✓
Receive payments in ShopLocally credits with fees lower than traditional processors.
-
✓
Choose to withdraw funds at a standard rate or leave them in the system and earn a higher yield for supporting the local loop.
-
✓
Get discovered through the ShopLocally directory and reward repeat customers automatically with built-in loyalty tools.
From cash to credits to community impact.
Under the hood, ShopLocally is a closed-loop value system. Credits move between shoppers and businesses, while we manage the rails, risk, and reconciliation in the background.
1. Credit lifecycle
-
1
Load-in: A shopper loads $100 into the app using their bank card or other supported method. They receive a small bonus (for example, $5 extra in credits) for choosing local.
-
2
Circulation: Those credits are spent at multiple ShopLocally merchants — maybe a café, a salon, and a local retailer.
-
3
Business decision: Each business can either cash out their received credits or keep some in the system to earn additional yield.
-
4
Re-use: When businesses spend within the network (e.g., paying other local suppliers), the same credits keep circulating locally instead of leaving the city.
Example: one shopper, one month
-
◎
They receive a bonus and start with $220 in credits.
-
◎
They spend those credits at 6 different local businesses.
-
◎
By the end of the month, they’ve saved more than a standard cash/credit approach — and all of that spend stayed in the local loop.
2. Fee model overview
*Exact fee structures, yields, and offers can vary by region and partner agreement. This page is conceptual and for illustration.
What makes ShopLocally a “micro-economy”?
Instead of value leaking out to big institutions, ShopLocally is engineered so that money circulates repeatedly between local shoppers and businesses — compounding the benefit for your community.
The closed-loop cycle
-
1Shoppers load credits
Residents convert cash into local credits, often receiving a bonus multiplier for early or recurring top-ups. -
2Credits are spent locally
Those credits are spent at participating shops, keeping nearly all of the transaction value within the local network. -
3Businesses earn, hold, or cash out
Businesses can either withdraw funds, or keep them circulating in the network to earn a higher yield. -
4Compounding community impact
Every transaction strengthens the local economy, funds more local jobs, and makes the city less dependent on external systems.
Why this matters for real cities
-
✓
Higher local retention: More of every dollar stays with local businesses and workers.
-
✓
Aligned incentives: Shoppers are directly rewarded for choosing local over big-box or online giants.
-
✓
Long-term stability: The more people use ShopLocally, the stronger and more self-sustaining the local economy becomes.
Lower fees, stronger loyalty, better margins.
ShopLocally gives you more than just a way to accept payment. It becomes a growth engine — sending you new customers, rewarding repeat visits, and helping you keep more of every sale.
Why businesses love ShopLocally
-
✓
Reduced payment fees compared to major card networks, so you keep more profit.
-
✓
Instant settlement into your ShopLocally balance — no waiting days for funds to clear.
-
✓
Optional yield when you leave a portion of your balance in the system to help fuel the local loop.
-
✓
Built-in discovery: Appear in the ShopLocally app as a featured local business when shoppers search for places to spend.
-
✓
Automatic loyalty tools that reward repeat visits without you managing punch cards or separate systems.
The cash-out & yield options
-
✓
Standard cash-out: Withdraw your credits as traditional currency at the normal rate whenever you need it.
-
✓
Enhanced local yield: Elect to keep a portion of your balance in ShopLocally to receive a higher interest rate over time.
-
✓
Hybrid strategy: Cash out what you need for operations and leave the rest in the system to grow and support the network.
Exactly what happens when you join ShopLocally.
Onboarding flow
-
1
Apply as a partner: Tell us about your business, average monthly volume, and how you currently accept payments.
-
2
Configure your account: We set your business profile, payout details, and your preferred balance strategy (cash-out vs. yield).
-
3
Go live: We provide you with in-store signage, staff talking points, and your ShopLocally QR code / POS integration.
-
4
Optimize: As usage grows, we help you fine-tune promotions, loyalty triggers, and how much you keep in the system.
Fee & margin impact
-
◎
Direct savings on payment processing compared to standard cards.
-
◎
Indirect savings from built-in loyalty and marketing (less ad spend to get existing customers back).
-
◎
Potential upside from yield on balances left in the system.
FAQ for business owners
-
Do I still need my regular payment terminal?Yes — at least at first. Most partners run ShopLocally alongside their existing terminal, then shift more volume over as their customers adopt the app.
-
How do I explain this to staff?We provide a simple one-page script and quick training: what ShopLocally is, how to process a payment, and how to answer common questions.
-
What if my customers don’t know the app yet?We help drive adoption with in-store materials, co-branded campaigns, and incentives for early users in your area.
-
Is there a contract?Partner terms depend on your region and scale, but our philosophy is simple: no predatory lock-ins, clear economics, and mutual upside.
Save money while doing what you already do: shop local.
ShopLocally turns everyday purchases into local support, real savings, and visible impact. You see exactly how much you’ve saved — and how many local businesses you’ve helped.
What you get as a shopper
-
✓
Multipliers when you convert cash into local credits (especially with recurring top-ups).
-
✓
Exclusive local offers and bonus rewards from participating businesses.
-
✓
Clear savings tracking: See exactly how much more you’ve gained vs. paying with ordinary methods.
-
✓
Impact dashboard: Track how many businesses you’ve supported and the total value that stayed local because of your choices.
From a user’s perspective
-
①
You download the app, create your wallet, and load $100 into local credits.
-
②
You receive a small top-up bonus or multiplier for committing to shop locally.
-
③
You pay with your phone at participating shops and see your savings update in real time.
-
④
At the end of the month, you can see how much you’ve saved and how many local businesses you’ve helped support.
What it feels like to live on ShopLocally.
Daily usage
Grab a coffee, book a haircut, buy a gift — and watch your savings and local impact grow every time you tap “Pay with ShopLocally.”
Monthly view
Open your dashboard and see: total local spend, total savings vs. cash or card, and number of local shops supported.
Long-term effect
Over a year, your choices add up to hundreds of dollars saved and thousands of dollars that stayed inside your city.
Savings, explained simply
-
◎
When businesses pay less in fees, it creates room for rewards, bonuses, and multipliers.
-
◎
Those rewards are structured so that the more consistently you shop local, the more you gain.
-
◎
All rewards are visible and trackable. You can see exactly what you earned and where it came from.
FAQ for customers
-
Is this like a credit card?No. You’re using your own money, converted into local credits. There is no interest, no debt, and no surprise fees.
-
Can I get my money back out?Terms depend on your region, but our goal is to keep the system flexible and transparent. Any limits or conditions will be clearly shown in-app.
-
What if a business I like isn’t on ShopLocally yet?You’ll be able to invite them directly from the app. We’ll handle the outreach and onboarding.
-
Do my credits expire?We design credit and reward policies to feel fair and user-friendly. Any expiry rules will be clearly visible before you load funds.
Turn your business district into a programmable micro-economy.
ShopLocally gives municipalities, BIAs/BRZs, and chambers of commerce a concrete way to reward local spending, measure impact, and keep more economic value circulating close to home.
What cities get with ShopLocally
-
✓
City-wide local wallet: A shared platform residents can use across hundreds of local businesses.
-
✓
Targeted incentives: Boost specific corridors, neighbourhoods, or sectors with temporary multipliers and campaigns.
-
✓
Real-time data: Understand where local spending is happening and how programs are performing.
-
✓
High-visibility initiative: A tangible “support local” program your team can roll out with clear KPIs.
How it fits with your existing programs
-
◎
“Support local” marketing campaigns and shop-local holidays.
-
◎
Downtown revitalization or main street recovery programs.
-
◎
Gift card or voucher initiatives funded by the city, chamber, or sponsors.
-
◎
Tourism and visitor economy efforts that want a simple way to direct spend to local businesses.
Outcomes you can measure
-
✓
Total local credits loaded vs. spent over time.
-
✓
Number of active participating businesses and their category breakdown.
-
✓
Neighbourhood-level activity to see which areas are thriving and which need more focus.
-
✓
Program ROI: Compare incentives offered to local economic activity generated.
A tool you can take to your board and your members.
Governance & partnership models
-
1
Chamber-led: Your organization becomes the named partner for the local launch and helps recruit member businesses.
-
2
City / BIA collaboration: Co-branded rollouts with shared messaging and data access.
-
3
Sponsored incentives: Local sponsors or institutions fund multipliers or bonus campaigns to amplify impact.
Talking points for leadership
-
“What makes this different from gift cards?”Gift cards are one-time tools. ShopLocally is a live, data-driven micro-economy that can respond to seasons, corridors, and priorities.
-
“Is it hard for businesses to join?”No — we’ve designed onboarding to be lightweight, with QR-driven payment and optional POS integrations.
-
“How do we explain this to council or the board?”We can provide a concise deck and talking points focused on economic retention, local resilience, and measurable outcomes.
-
“What’s the risk?”We’ll walk you through governance, compliance, and risk management so that your legal and finance teams are comfortable from day one.
Local doesn’t mean low-tech. It means built right.
ShopLocally is designed with modern security standards, transparent economics, and a clear separation between user funds and operational revenue.
Secure wallets
Each user and business has a dedicated wallet environment with encrypted balances and robust access controls.
Transparent economics
Our revenue comes from clearly defined fees and optional yield instruments — not hidden charges or surprise rate changes.
Local-first compliance
Built with Canadian regulatory requirements in mind and structured to expand responsibly into new regions.
Ready to help build your city’s micro-economy?
We’re actively onboarding partner businesses, cities, and chambers of commerce. If you lead a local district or business community, we’d love to talk.
Interested in piloting ShopLocally in your city?
We’re looking for a small group of cities and business districts to help shape the future of local micro-economies.
Contact us: Replace this text with your contact form shortcode or email link (e.g. hello@shoplocally.com). We’ll walk you through the model, revenue sharing, and rollout plan.