Calling all local, independent business owners! Why join Myndy?

Calling all local, independent business owners! Why join Myndy?

Myndy is a new wishlist and digital gift voucher system for local, independent businesses only – not big brands and national chains. Our aim is to bring local businesses together with those who want to help keep their local business communities alive.

  • Driven by wishlists, Myndy allows people to identify you as one of their favourite businesses, shops, trades people or service providers, so signalling to friends and family exactly where they would like to spend their gift voucher.
  • Almost anything can be added to a wishlist – including services and products not traditionally thought of as gifts but which might be the one thing someone needs most ‘right now’.
  • Gifters, wherever they are geographically, select from the wishlists – keeping spend local.
  • Myndy helps you get in front of those who want to actively support local, independent businesses. You gain more exposure and the opportunity to grow your customer base.
  • Being part of Myndy also allows those who already buy from you to easily ask for and receive your products and services as gifts – so it’s great for them and helps you enhance your relationship with them.
  • The voucher approach has the potential to drive in-person engagement and retail footfall as restrictions ease.
  • Any business can join Myndy – whether they have their own vouchers or not and even if they have no website. There’s no tech investment and no contract. Setup is free, quick and easy. Transaction fees are low and payments straightforward via Stripe.

A small team of Leamington Spa-based creatives and developers, we conceived the Myndy concept to help local businesses and friends who started to struggle in 2020. We’re launching first in Leamington Spa, Kenilworth and Warwick before a phased national roll out and are supported by Innovate UK.

Discover what Myndy could do for your business – its free to join and signing up is quick and simple.

BID-Leamington

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Will we keep our local spending habits after lockdown?

Will we keep our local spending habits after lockdown?

There’s no doubt that many of us have valued the care, attention and innovation shown by our local, independent businesses over the last year as they’ve adapted to the challenges of the pandemic. Forced to spend much of our time close to home, we’ve come to more fully appreciate what’s on our doorstep – and we’ve been spending more locally.

Research from Lansons and Opinium during 2020 concluded that our spending habits are unlikely to return to our pre-pandemic normal, with 39% of those interviewed spending more [in 2020] with local businesses.

“As the local community becomes the core focus for people during the crisis, we are seeing a shift in consumer attitudes and a buoying sense of community around our local businesses. During this period of slowing down, taking stock and reflecting on what really matters, many of us are realising that the experience of shopping small, supporting local businesses and at the same time being more sustainable is worth an extra few pounds.”

77% believed spending with local businesses will continue after the crisis and 34% believed it will become the new normal.

But will this last as life opens up?

Well, so far the trend seems to be holding firm. A study published in March 2021 by the Policy Institute at King’s College London and Ipsos MORI for BBC News, shows that 30% say they would do more of their shopping locally after lockdown restrictions are lifted compared to the year before the pandemic, coming third behind walking (38%) and talking to family members (32%).

The challenge now for many local shops and suppliers is to be able to operate profitably and see a long term future for their business as restrictions ease. Many commentators say it is foolish to believe that we will all flock back immediately to our pre-Covid levels of activity and spending.

But we can still consciously choose to spend as much as we can locally with our independent suppliers – whether that’s through home delivery, click and collect, turning up in person, or gifting through Myndy.

Local businesses are not just another shop or service, they’re people’s livelihoods and they’re what makes our neighbourhoods uniquely ours. To say we’ll shop more locally is one thing, to actually keep on doing it is another. Let’s make sure our best intentions last.

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Verifying your business on Myndy

Verifying your business on Myndy

Set up an account with Stripe

Creating a Stripe account is simple and can be done in less than 15 minutes.

You can start creating your account here. You just need to enter an email address, your name and a strong, secure password.

Verifying your email address

Once you have created your account Stripe will send you an email to verify that you have used a real email address that you have access to. Click on the link in the message and your email will be verified. If you can’t find the email, don’t forget to check your spam or junk folders.

Activate your account

Next you will need to fill out a form with information about your business, the account holder and the bank account you want to connect to. If you don’t have all of the information to hand you can return later and continue where you left off.

Start accepting payments

Once the account is setup and connected to a bank account you can start accepting payments. To connect Stripe to your Myndy business profile, log in to your Myndy account here and edit your business. Click the ‘Connect with Stripe’ button and log in to the Stripe account you have just set up.

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