KCLR has officially launched a new virtual retail park for Carlow Kilkenny which has in excess of one thousand local businesses accessible through the site.
The new website is designed to gather everything a shopper (consumer) in Carlow Kilkenny would want in one online location, allowing visitors to browse businesses of all types and sizes and is searchable by business category or location.
It has been launched by KCLR in response to a huge growth in online due to the Covid pandemic, a phenomenon which has been matched by a greater appreciation than ever of the importance to businesses and communities of “supporting local”.
Inclusion on the website for local businesses is free of charge with a number of upgrade options being made available for additional promotion and functionality.
“Online engagement has soared during the pandemic and KCLR has seen this from the record numbers of visitors to the KCLR website to listen online and experience our audio offering. The pandemic has also really brought home to people the importance of “local”, according to John Purcell, CEO of KCLR.
“Over the last year we’ve heard thousands of times from people who interact with KCLR on air, on line and through our social platforms that they really want to support local so we’ve designed and built this new platform which we’re really excited about.”
Kicking off this Saturday on the “Saturday Show with Edward Hayden” shopcarlowkilkenny.ie is starting a new feature where businesses and local services will be featured in a new weekly on-air feature called Shop Local, Shop Now with shop Carlow Kilkenny dot ie your online shopping store-y.
Presented by Aisling Kelly, the feature will bring listeners shopping information, tips and special offers as well as exclusive prizes and promotions.
And in the coming weeks the site will launch a dedicated weekly programme focused on retail and shop local as well as a host of new content offerings.
“We’re really excited about this new project which is a win/win for both shoppers and local businesses,” according to John Purcell “Shoppers will get great choice and a uniquely tailored local online shopping experience while local businesses will get to promote themselves and get access to a huge local audience thanks to the power of KCLR on-air and online.”