By Alan Coleman on 28 Aug 2020
The Covid-19 Online Retail Grant Scheme
Enterprise Ireland has recently announced Phase 3 of the highly successful COVID-19 Online Retail Scheme. This new wave of support has a total fund size of €5 million.
The scheme has been set up in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with a view to help Irish-owned retail companies improve their online visibility and boost business growth in these unprecedentedly challenging times.
How Much is the Covid-19 Retail Grant Worth?
Similar to the previous phases of the scheme, as part of Phase 3, Enterprise Ireland will offer a maximum of €40,000 to successful applicants which will cover up to 80% of eligible costs.
What Kinds of Services Are Covered by the Grant?
Typical elements involved in developing a sophisticated digital marketing strategy and transactional online presence include research, consultancy costs for strategy development, implementation of website works and training internal staff to better enable them to meet the challenges of a retail market which is becoming increasingly digital in nature.
Wolfgang Digital have carefully designed 3 specific Covid19 Online Retail Scheme packages to help Irish businesses improve their online presence.
Each of these Enterprise Ireland retail grant packages is specially tailored to suit the needs of Irish retailers at different stages of their e-commerce journey, from those who simply need to get more eyeballs on their site or are having difficulty turning site visitors into sales, all the way up to more established online retailers who need a strategic partner to help them map out the next stages of their business strategy.
Each of Wolfgang Digital’s Enterprise Ireland grant-eligible packages are designed to help Irish retailers win more customers as quickly as possible. Furthermore, some packages can be stacked together and will still be eligible under the fund criteria.
Find out more about our Covid-19 Online Retail Scheme Packages, including details on how you can apply.
Who Can Apply for These Grants?
In order to apply for the Covid-19 Online Retail Scheme, you must be an Irish-owned retail enterprise that had 10 or more employees on or before the 29 of February 2020, with the potential to sustain their current employee count or to create further jobs and to generate business growth in the form of online transactions, as well as plans to expand their business into international (non-Irish) markets in the future.
In order to apply, a business must submit an application in the name of a company registered with the Companies Registration Office and incorporated in the Republic of Ireland at the time of application.
The business must also meet the following criteria:
- have an existing online presence (such as a functional website or a notable social media presence)
- have at least one (non-online) retail outlet, with the majority of the business’ revenue coming from said retail outlet(s)
- must have employed at least 10 full-time / equivalent to full-time employees in the Republic of Ireland on or before 29 February 2020
Applicants who were unsuccessful in the previous round of Enterprise Ireland’s Online Retail Scheme are eligible to re-apply with a modified proposal, so long as they adhere to the above criteria.
Successful applicants from the previous round of grants are also eligible to re-apply for funding, so long as they have fully completed the project which was funded, fully claimed all eligible costs and are able to pitch a notably different project / ambition to the work carried out in the previous phase of the scheme.
When is the Closing Date for Grant Applications?
The deadline for Enterprise Ireland’s Covid-19 Online Retail scheme grants is Tuesday, 25th of May at 12pm (noon).
Why Choose Wolfgang Digital?
While there are many digital marketing agencies looking to forge partnerships with businesses just like yours, none can boast the perfect track record which Wolfgang Digital can.
In the previous rounds of Covid-19 Online Retail Scheme funding, all 10 of Wolfgang Digital’s submissions were accepted and funded by Enterprise Ireland.
Wolfgang Digital also have an unparalleled track record in terms of delivering success for e-commerce clients over the last 5 years. Our work has won us numerous industry awards thanks to a solid mix of innovative and strategic thinking, making us not just one of Ireland’s, but one of Europe’s leading digital marketing agencies.
So, if you want to give your business the best chance of success, please check out our selection of Covid-19 Online Retail Scheme Packages, and find out how we can help you join our long list of successful applicants.
Need More Information?
Not sure what to do or where to start?
Talk to us, we’d be happy to help.
We can be contacted by phone:
(01) 663 8020
or simply email us at [email protected]
