Shopify have announced their participation in Empire State Digital, a new program being led by New York State Governor, Andrew Cuomo, to help retailers become more resilient in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Empire State Digital program aims to help small businesses who are hugely important to the city’s economy expand beyond physical brick-and-mortar and get online to offer customers more options for buying products and services. Shopify, the State of New York, and its partners will help business owners sell on their own online store, and across marketplaces and social media channels.
New York isn’t the first city Shopify have offered their help to, in July they also announced the launch of Go Digital Canada proving to be committed to helping small businesses everywhere adapt to the digital economy and achieve long-term success while navigating disruptions posed by COVID-19.
Shopify will offer New York-based businesses:
- First 90 days of Shopify for free**
- Access to Shopify Point-Of-Sale Pro features for free***
- $500USD App Store credits****
- Free Tap & Chip Card Reader*****
- 24/7 support, including access to online educational resources and possible eligibility for Shopify Capital
“COVID-19 has demonstrated that seamlessly connecting offline and online selling is more important now than ever before, and is essential for small businesses to meet the future of retail,”
“Our partnership with the State of New York will equip small businesses for long-term success by expanding their ecommerce capabilities while also helping them reopen retail locations with confidence using Shopify Point-Of-Sale (POS), allowing them to unify in-store and online sales at no initial cost.”
– Arpan Podduturi, Director of Product, Shopify
