Independent Clonmel retailers invited to meeting about setting up collective online store

A company setting up Tipperary’s first Digital Retail Village in Clonmel where the town’s independent retailers can sell their products from one central online store, is hosting an information meeting about the initiative next week.

Tap Retail founder and CEO Stephen Hallahan and Head of Business Development Barry Moylan are inviting independent business owners, particularly retailers, to an information presentation and meeting in Clonmel Town Hall at 6.30pm on Tuesday, March 3.

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Stephen Hallahan said the attraction of setting up a Digital Retail Village online store for Clonmel was that customers can purchase goods from several independent retailers on the same platform at the one time and get those goods delivered to their home by the one delivery provider.

“You can buy products from your local grocery and then your butcher on the website and get them delivered by the one delivery person,” he explained.

“This initiative is about bringing the town centre to people online if they can’t get into the town centre to do their business.”

There will also be a “click and collect” option on the Digital Retail Village online store for customers who wish to collect the goods they buy from the shops featured on the website store.

Barry Moylan said independent retailers in town centres are under a lot of pressure from out-of-town stores and big online retail players.

“This helps the small independent retailers to fight back and supports them to equip themselves to transform their businesses in an increasingly on-line world.”

He said the Digital Retail Village online store will be very attractive to those customers who have mobility challenges and find it difficult to get into and around the town to buy from the retailers they regularly buy from.

He pointed out the Digital Retail Village store will also be an umbrella online platform for Clonmel retailers to market and promote their products, sales and special offers.

And he explained the independent retailers can avail of government funding under the Digital for Business Initiative to assist them to adapt to doing business online.

The first Tap Retail Digital Retail Village online store was set up for the retailers of Foxrock in Dublin over a year ago and the company’s second store was established for Enniscorthy in Wexford before Christmas.

Tap Retail online stores are in the pipeline for several other towns around the country.

Mr Moylan said Tipperary Chamber, Clonmel Town Team and Tipperary County Council are supporting the initiative. He and Stephen Hallahan visited up to 40 retail businesses in Clonmel with Clonmel Town Team Chairman Noel Buckley over the past few weeks to spread the word about the initiative

“Clonmel will be the first Digital Retail Village in Tipperary and once it takes off in Clonmel it could be launched in other towns in the county,” Mr Moylan said.

Retailers can register in advance for the Tap Retail information meeting at Clonmel Town Hal via the Tipperary Chamber website.

For more information on Tap Retail log onto: www.tap-retail.com

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