The Scottish Government has announced a £250,000 investment to digitise Scotland Loves Local (SLL) gift cards.
The cards, which are currently used by more than 20 councils in the country, can be loaded with credit for use in participating shops and businesses within a local authority area.
The new initiative will make them available through devices such as smartphones and the system may be made compatible with transport providers’ ticketing systems, which would make it possible to provide gifts of train and bus fares into town centres for shopping trips.
Community Wealth Minister Tom Arthur said: “Going digital is an important step forward for the SLL gift card. The scheme has already delivered millions of pounds of extra spending to help businesses recover from the pandemic and by increasing their useability I am sure even more people will be encouraged to shop locally.
“The cards have made a real difference in places like Glasgow, where thousands of cards have been used to access Scottish Government funding for economic recovery.
“They represent a step towards the creation of local currencies to be invested and retained within areas. Digitalisation will accelerate that process and help support fairer and more prosperous local economies.”
Partnership delivery
SLL is delivered by the Scotland’s Towns Partnership and aimed at encouraging people to spend money locally.
It was launched in August 2021 and so far has over 6,600 businesses registered to accept the cards, of which 75% are independent or franchised. Almost 5,000 cards were purchased during 2022-23 and an unspecified number issued by local authorities.
