On the heels of a series of videos shot to showcase Humboldt’s local business scene, the Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce has released a members survey tracing the impact of the initiative. The videos in the “Shop Local” effort have featured local business leaders talking about the importance of shopping locally and highlighting their own goods and services. 

The follow up survey is to assess the relative success of the effort following the release of the videos online and via social media platforms. The survey was conducted by the Humboldt Chamber of Commerce through the InputSask online business insight platform, run by the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.

“This is part of our obligations on our shop local program that we’ve been running for the last few months,” explains Chamber Executive Director Brent Fitzpatrick. “It’s to see if the community is paying attention, the businesses particularly, to what we’re doing and the efforts we are making.”  

The intent was to produce a series of positive and people-based videos. The messaging was to reflect the variety of businesses available and to do a deeper dive on the kinds of products and supports local shoppers have on their doorsteps. The project also shines a spotlight on the business owners themselves, some of whom may work more behind the scenes than in the store front.

“A lot of times, you may go shopping at a grocery store, but you may not know who's sitting at the helm in the back doing the ordering. I really wanted to bring those people to the forefront.” 

The survey produced an acceptable sampling of respondents to a few questions. A healthy 69 percent of respondents claimed to have noticed more communication around the benefits of shopping local as a result of the campaign, compared to 26 percent who said they had not and 6 percent who said they were unsure. 

It was a slightly different picture when it came to the resilience of the business community. Forty-six percent reported confidence that the independent  local businesses would remain intact in light of the pandemic. An equal 46 percent claimed to be unsure with 11 percent saying “no.”

Other information gleaned included 40 percent saying they were made more aware of the benefits of local shopping, 46 percent stating they have shopped at more local stores, and 14 percent of business owners stating they have noticed an increase in customers. 

The survey netted around 15 percent of the Chamber business community responding, but the results were telling, says Fitzpatrick.

“The question that asked ‘are you more aware of shopping local’, and you have 69 percent that said you are more aware, then ‘Shop Local’ has done its job.

The videos are available for viewing on the Humboldt Chamber of Commerce social media sites.