Des Moines, IA — The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) announced Shop Iowa, a new e-commerce platform that gives retailers, particularly those who didn’t previously have an online presence, a place to showcase their products and businesses.
The statewide platform better positions Iowa small businesses to compete in today’s large online economy and helps Iowans shop local online.
“Iowa’s small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and they need our support now more than ever to fully recover and grow during this challenging time,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said. “Shop Iowa is a great way to help small businesses across the state capture online sales that may be going elsewhere and for Iowans to support their communities and the economy by shopping local.”
Shop Iowa is an easy-to-use platform for consumers to browse through local stores for clothing, books, games, pet supplies and much more.
IEDA has partnered with Iowa-based Member Marketplace Inc. to provide the platform at no charge to small, brick-and-mortar retail businesses statewide through June 2021. Nearly 150 Iowa businesses have registered to sell on Shop Iowa so far.
“Every day I’m inspired by success stories of retailers who transformed to meet the needs of their customers, and the common thread is a strong online presence,” said Debi Durham, director of IEDA and the Iowa Finance Authority. “The expectation for digital sales and services is here to stay, and we’re proud to help small retailers in Iowa adapt to this new reality.”
Iowa shoppers can browse now at ShopIowa.com. Retailers can learn more and register to sell at ShopIowa.com/sell.
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