Petition to launch Shop Out to Help Out scheme is launched

A new petition for implementing the Shop Out to Help Out scheme hopes to raise 100,000 signatures to qualify for a Government-funded cashback to shoppers in a bid to support struggling independent retailers.

The idea is to give customers a 50 percent cashback on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays for a limited time and offer a smaller cashback incentive outside of these days funded by the business. The Government stimulus package should be supplied as a rebate from the ‘Business Rates pot’.

How it works

Shop Out to Help Out is a not for profit initiative powered by Refundable, who developed an app which shoppers can download to see all participating retailers as well as upload their preferred payment method to receive the cashback. Transactional data is pulled directly from card companies such as Visa/Mastercard/Amex and sent to the Government. The Government reimburses the cashback reward. Retailers can register for the scheme with their payment gateway merchant ID and no further integration is required.

Refundable said it has all the technology in house to power the scheme and suggests the app is a better solution (card linked loyalty) than traditional card-based schemes and vouchers.

The Shop Out to Help Out scheme will reward customers with a 50 percent rebate (maximum 10 pounds per transaction) when shopping in small independent retailers, with fewer than 10 members of staff.

The campaign, similar to the Eat Out to Help Out scheme launched last summer for the hospitality industry, would assist independent retailers by providing a much-needed boost during this difficult transition back to normality.

To get the campaign off the ground, Refundable is encouraging both consumers and small businesses to sign the petition. The goal of this petition would be to obtain a detailed response from the Government when 100,000 signatures are reached, to allow the issue to be debated in Parliament with the end result being the launch of the Shop Out to Help Out scheme, with independent retailers signing up to take part.

You can sign the petition here.