Yiftee (yiftee.com) is an award winning mobile app, web service and API that is making it easy to “shop local” no matter where you live. Yiftee lets consumers and businesses send thoughtful, unexpected gifts to colleagues, clients, friends and family quickly via email, text and Facebook®. Recipients pick up their Yiftee gifts using their smartphone at their favorite local restaurants and shops, driving profitable business to those merchants. Businesses benefit by gaining additional sales, foot traffic, eGifting capability like big retailers and a free mobile/web sales channel.
Yiftee’s Top Ten Reasons to Think Local, Buy Local, Be Local
1. Money spent locally stays local: When you buy from locally owned businesses significantly more of your money stays in your local economy.
2. Support community groups: Non-profits receive an average 250% more support from small business owners than they do from large businesses. Large firms often contribute to the area where the corporation is headquartered, not necessarily, where they do business.
3. Local character: The local one-of-a-kind businesses where you live eat and have fun are a major part of your local community’s character and identity.
4. Reduce environmental impact: Locally owned businesses are often located in a downtown or city center. This means less development on the fringes, contributing less to sprawl, energy use and pollution. Additionally, local businesses source more of their purchases locally, meaning less transportation of goods and more dollars staying in the local economy.
5. Create more good jobs: Local merchants are the largest employer nationally and in communities, providing good opportunities for residents.
6. Better service: Local merchants take time to know their customers, and often have a better understanding of the products they are selling.
7. Invest in the future: Local businesses, often owned by local residents, are more invested in the community’s future, and less likely to leave.
8. Put your taxes to good use: Businesses in town centers or downtowns generally require less investment in infrastructure and make better use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores.
9. Products geared toward residents: Local merchants are more in tune with their communities and customer base, leading to a product offering best suited to the local environment.
10. Attract the innovators: In an increasingly standardized world, it is not surprising that highly skilled thought workers and entrepreneurs prefer to settle and invest in communities with unique character and a distinctive environment.
