Online Trading Voucher – Why and How

Online Trading Voucher – In Ireland, the government launched the Online Trading Voucher scheme with the objective of getting more Irish businesses trading online and to try and counteract the billions leaving Ireland online every year. Think Amazon.com versus Easons.com (by the way, will somebody tell Eason’s to redirect the domains www.easons.ie and www.eason.ie to www.easons.com, dumb or what?!!) and you know what I mean. The Irish government wants more Irish businesses trading online and hopefully in time Irish consumers will buy from more Irish companies who are now online, with the help of the…….Online Trading Voucher.

But first, if you are interested in our services at Digital Sales, check out this quick video:

There are other benefits for the Irish Government due to the Online Trading Voucher, such as the VAT stays in the country and the Irish company will pay their corporation tax (unlike some….). Let it be known…business is never a level playing field. Anyway, getting back on track……in 2014: €8.4 billion was spent online, 70% of which was spent in overseas markets….So, the Irish Government said, let’s try and get some of that cash into the Irish coffers.

All in all, it makes sense for the Irish Government to promote the online trading voucher scheme and it also takes the cash out of the market (the black market), tracks payments and thus should increase VAT payments for the Irish State. But what about the advantages for you, the company with little online presence and no form of taking payments online? What’s in it for you? How can the Online Trading Voucher help you?

Online Trading Voucher – The Advantages for you the small business owner?

Well, you get a website for half price! And always try and get the full amount, go for 5K, which will allow you to get a high-end website which will influence online prospects better and the design should last longer from an usability and aesthetics perspective.

The reason we suggest you pull down the full amount (5K), is because it will allow you to get 2.5K, and don’t worry if you don’t have 5K in spare cash, the website will take some months to complete and so the payment for 5K can be spread out over 3 and sometimes 4 months. Which is very manageable. Once the project is completed, you can receive your grant of 2.5K from the Local Enterprise Board within a couple of weeks.

Another logical reason for pulling the full 5K is that it will allow you to purchase a better product, allow you to commission and seek out a more high-end web design company (like Digital Sales!!). Sure, you can get a standard website for 1K or 1.5K, but why buy a second-hand car when you can buy a new car with a 7-year warranty!! DO NOT substitute quality and a customised website built for your business, your sector and your target market.

Online Trading Voucher – Final Word and How to Qualify

Finally, according to research from Forrester Research, 81% of internet users enter websites via a search engine, if you don’t have a website how are you going to get found online? And if you don’t have a website you can’t even use AdWord advertising….so how to qualify for 50% or a 5K web design project in Ireland.

****This Trading Online Vouchers Scheme and Website Grant has just been updated (March 2020) where you apply for this website grant a second time up to September 2020 and also another important point, applicants can spend 2750 euro and get the grant for 2500. This is a Covid 19 related initiative, read all about it here. And if you need help with the answers for the questions on the Website Grant form, see this handy blog post. Or just reach out to the Digital Sales team.

How to Qualify for an Online Trading Voucher – Eligibility

You should have a limited Online Trading presence
Your business must have less than 10 employees
Your business must have turnover of less than €2m
Applicant business must be trading for at least 12 months.
Businesses must be based and located in the LEO area – and so your application must be processed by your Local Enterprise Board

* Not all companies and associations can qualify, we will discuss this in another blog post, but if you reach out to us, we will tell you very quickly if you qualify for an Online Trading Voucher.

Need help with your Online Trading Voucher Application?

At Digital Sales we have helped companies all over Ireland apply for the Online Trading Voucher, NOT ONE of our voucher applications have failed to qualify. If you need any help completing your Online Trading Voucher application contact us today at 01 539 7207 or email info@digitalsales.ie we have pre populated Online Trading Voucher forms that have passed the selection criteria and we have delivered world class websites that help companies sell online.