Southport has launched an innovative regeneration campaign to attract more visitors into the town and support independent retailers.
Southport Town Team has partnered with TikTap to use innovative mobile technology to proactively increase footfall in Southport by introducing a local offer and voucher incentive scheme.
Utilising mobile technology supplied by TikTap, which has been developed by the company behind Orange Wednesdays, local retailers in the town centre will be able to provide shoppers with instant offers and exclusive promotions redeemable in store via their mobile phones.
The TikTap technology is enabled via a unique pod, which is plugged into a retailer’s EPOS electronic till system. Consumers download the TikTap app, which stores details of all live offers in the area – users ‘Tik’ the ones that appeal. When they are in the shop, they simply tap their mobile phones over the pod to redeem the offer, bridging the gap between online, mobile and High Street shopping.
This new initiative aims to be a major part of the strategy to reverse decline in Southport with more than 13.6% of shops currently empty, compared to a national average of 9.8%, partially due to the difficult economic climate and the increase in online and mobile shopping at the expense of bricks-and-mortar retail stores.
Owner of Lord Streets Flutterby Beauty Salon Lisa Carlin said “Shoppers have taken advantage of the internet to search for deals and buy online which has had a detrimental effect on the Southport High Street, something that we would like to reverse,”
TikTap will help small retailers with lower marketing budgets, as well as larger businesses who already promote traditional offers via bonus card schemes, print vouchers and other more traditional communication channels like direct mailings. It harnesses the use of smartphones, which people carry with them all the time, enabling more effective, targeted offers tailored to new and existing customers,
Steve Dickson, member of Southport Town Team and CEO of Sefton Chamber of Commerce, added: “We have a number of businesses and retailers who are members of the Chamber of Commerce, who we are actively encouraging adoption of TikTap, as part of our wider push for online marketing to build footfall, sales and customer loyalty”
Peter Hampson, chair of Southport Tourism Business Network, commented: “TikTap will not only attract new visitors to the area, but it is also a long-term solution, as the technology enables retailers to deliver effective local marketing activity and make sure visitors continue to return to the area and keep local businesses flourishing.”
The partnership with Southport is a fantastic example of how towns are proactively taking the initiative to bring their High Street back to life and get them back to their thriving glory. “We’re thrilled to support this ambition for regeneration with the implementation of TikTap, which will enable local retailers to provide compelling, enticing offers with measurable results all via a simple, smartphone app,” said Michael Dougherty from TikTap.
