New digital membership card champions independent businesses across Harborough
An entrepreneur has started a new digital platform to bring people closer to the businesses they love across Harborough with a loyalty program and discount card.
Founder Ed Shek started Harborians as a social media account during the Covid-19 pandemic to support independent businesses at a time when in-person shopping came to a halt.
He explained: “It was so sad that the high street was closed, and there was nothing going on.
-“I thought surely there must be something I can do. Why not focus on things that are made in Harborough and actually start doing some storytelling?”
What began as a page to connect with businesses and share their products has developed into interviewing the people behind the companies and understanding their stories.
Ed, 42, said: “We want to become the go-to platform for celebrating and supporting independent businesses across the Harborough district.”
Now, Harborians has a membership card that was developed to encourage people to shop locally while giving participating businesses an opportunity to attract customers.
The online card, which officially launched in July, gives businesses the chance to offer shoppers exclusive discounts and offers.
Ed explained: “How do I speed up this process so that members of this card can reach out to businesses and buy locally, but at the same time for businesses to get a real win out of it as well?”
So far, more than 100 businesses have signed up. They have access to their own dashboard to select which offers are active. Participating places will have a Harborians sticker in their window.
Members can browse an online business directory, filtering by categories such as cafes, restaurants, health and wellness.
He said: “The ambition is to make it a normal part of how people shop, how people eat, how they exercise and explore locally.”
The individual membership is £39 annually, £69 for couples and £179 for a family card - for up to five people.
Ed added: “Harborians celebrates and supports independent businesses across the Harborough district through storytelling, digital marketing, and community initiatives like the Harborians card.”
People can visit https://harborians.com/ for more information.