Second Lockdown A Wakeup Call For Kiwi Businesses To “get Digital”

New Zealand website agency Zeald has had fresh interest in its free ecommerce websites, following the announcement of Covid 19’s resurgence in the country last week. New enquiries add to the more than 600 free websites Zeald has already given away since the first lockdown, to help get struggling small businesses trading online.

Founder and Chairman of Zeald, David Kelly, says getting online will help future-proof small businesses against ongoing uncertainty.

“While this latest blow has come as a shock, it proves we simply can’t be complacent, even when it looks like we’re getting a handle on Covid 19. We will be operating in an uncertain trading environment for some time to come, and small businesses need to prepare digitally,” says Kelly.

“Being able to trade online in these uncertain times is crucial to business survival. If you can’t offer contactless payment options or click and collect services for your customers during Alert Level 3, you are in trouble. For those businesses operating under Level 2 restrictions, or for those with a customer or supplier base in Level 3, being sorted digitally is a huge advantage,” he says.

“And when the nation gets back to Level 1, having a presence online and being able to engage and trade with your customers there - which is where they’re all going - sets your business in good stead for growth and taking up new opportunities in this increasingly digital world.”

Recent MYOB research** released earlier this month reveals the biggest barrier for nearly half (44%) of NZ SMEs getting set up online is the cost.

To remove this barrier, Zeald has committed to giving away free ecommerce websites for the foreseeable future through it’s Get Ecommerce Movement (GEM) initiative; Zeald waives its usual build and setup costs and monthly hosting fees for 12 months with its GEM websites. The only cost to a business in the first 12 months is a 2% success fee on transactions.

“This year has been one surprise after another,” says Mr Kelly. “We want to help businesses through this second wave of Covid 19 and to ensure they don’t get caught out by a third or fourth wave. There has never been a more important time to get your business online, and to take the opportunity to do so without the usual barriers such as set up costs.

“We hope that as businesses embrace new technologies, we will see SMEs in a much stronger position to survive and thrive beyond the impact of Covid 19, ready for a more digital future.”

SME businesses can apply for a GEM ecommerce website here: zeald.com/free-ecommerce-websites.html

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