Mayor Andy Schor today announced that the City of Lansing was chosen by global commerce leader eBay as the second city to launch a new transformational program in support of the city’s entrepreneurs and local businesses. During the 12-month partnership, eBay will work with local Lansing businesses to harness the power of technology and eBay’s global marketplace to help boost their reach and revenue. Retail Revival is a new program in the U.S., first launched in Akron, OH and focused on bringing traditional brick & mortar main street businesses online and to new customers around the world.
“I am thrilled to partner with eBay over the next year to help boost Lansing’s local businesses,” said Mayor Andy Schor. “The Retail Revival program will allow us to further support growth of small businesses throughout the city. Lansing’s time is now, and it’s an honor that eBay chose our city as the next leader in local businesses utilizing their online platform.”
In partnership with the City of Lansing, eBay will select a cohort of local small businesses to participate in the year-long program. These businesses will receive ongoing support and resources to get started and grow on the eBay platform, including training programs, one-on-one coaching, direct access to a dedicated eBay customer service team, and an eBay store subscription – all provided at no cost to participants. Additionally, eBay will work with the city of Lansing to promote the city and its sellers through a dedicated landing page on ebay.com and a host of marketing efforts across the company’s channels.
“Our Retail Revival pilot program in Akron, Ohio has shown the impact online marketplaces and a little bit of training can have in supporting local businesses to grow and thrive in the current retail environment,” said Scott Cutler, eBay’s Senior Vice President, Americas. “We knew we found an ideal partner in Lansing after seeing first-hand its strong community of small businesses, and we’re looking forward to working with these businesses to bring their products to our 175 million buyers around the world.”
Business owners looking to apply to the program should be based in the Lansing area, identify ecommerce as a key part of their growth strategy, offer a range of inventory and demonstrate a commitment and readiness to grow their business. More information and link to the application can be found here: ebayinc.com/Lansing.
SOURCE: PRESS RELEASE
