DIGITAL high streets are being created across Scotland in a bid to beat the coronavirus lockdown which is crippling the nation's economy.
A new £1 million fund is being used to allow local businesses and high streets across Scotland to go digital and allow them to keep trading.
Several digital high street partnerships have now been formed to allow businesses to adapt to the new virus-hit environment.
The aim is that if the public cannot hit the small enterprises on the high street, they will be able to increasingly access them online.
Among the new digital high streets is the #LoveStAndrews Market Place which aims to provide a digital marketplace for all local businesses with existing delivery and/or click and collect services.
An app aims to expand from the traditional hot food delivery to include all sectors and services.
A spokesman said: "The app will help to drive revenue streams, save jobs and ensure that businesses survive in the long run."
It is linked to a takeaway system covering Fife and Stirlingshire called Hungrr. The online food ordering system allows business and towns to create their own digital pages.
Scott Campbell of Hungrrr said: “It was set up originally to help restaurants and takeaways get online quickly with world class app and web technology. It has allowed hundreds of businesses to save thousands in commissions from the other delivery providers such as JustEat and Deliveroo.
"Over the years the platform has continually evolved and it now is flexible enough to allow almost any type of business to become e-commerce enabled.
"During this recent pandemic Hungrrr has been able to assist businesses to continue to trade that otherwise would have had to close."
Hungrrr said they were also involved in a new high street first - the Rural Stirling Digital Marketplace app.
All the schemes are supported by a Scottish Government-backed £1 million Business Improvement District's Resilience Fund.
It is being channelled through Scotland's Business Improvement Districts (BIDS) scheme, a collaborative project where local firms vote to establish a company to deliver joint economic and business development initiatives from a shared fund.
Local businesses agree to pay an additional levy on top of their business rates to pay for some projects that will improve the local economy.
There are 37 active BIDs across Scotland with many more in the pipeline.
Phil Prentice, the Chief Officer of Scotland’s Towns Partnerships and Programme Director of Scotland’s Improvement Districts, said: “Thanks to support from the fund, BIDs across Scotland are supporting local businesses to innovate with digital platforms that allow them to keep trading during this difficult time. We’re glad to be able to strike up these national partnerships to allow BIDs and town centres to establish digital high streets and business directories so people can still support their towns by shopping local.
“This has been a hugely difficult time for town centres and local businesses, and it will be important that we work together on the far side to ensure this innovation to continue as our high streets continue to change and evolve. However, what this crisis has shown is how resilient and creative our town centres can be and this bodes well for the future.”
Jane Kennedy, manager of the St Andrews BID said: "We were so impressed when we saw how the Hungrrr Platform, we felt they were the ideal partner for us to support our Marketplace App here in St Andrews. We realised how absolutely essential it was for our local businesses to be supported."
The new scheme comes a matter of days after a new £100m grant support package for smaller businesses and newly self-employed people was opened for applications.
The three separate funds will be administered by local authorities and Scotland’s enterprise agencies.
The money will start to be paid out in early May, according to the Scottish government.
The package includes a £34m "hardship fund" for the newly self-employed and £20m for small firms in the creative, tourism and hospitality sectors.
Up to £45m is also available for "viable" small firms "crucial to the Scottish economy which are vulnerable".
The Scottish government said it aimed to relieve the hardship of small enterprises that were ineligible for other forms of support.
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