ShopCity's Innovative Bricks and Clicks Solution Stimulates Local Economies

'Think Local - Shop Local' Initiative Empowers Communities And Small Businesses

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Jan 21, 2010, 06:00 ET

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- ShopCity.com, a "bricks and clicks" platform that strengthens local economies by connecting local businesses and consumers through a network of community-branded marketplaces, is now available for use in your town or city.

Part Amazon, part Yelp and part Yellow Pages, ShopCity marketplaces — such as ShopMountainView.com, which is being promoted in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce Mountain View — gives each participant a memorable internet address that is also a call-to-action to shop in their city.

"In challenging economic times – with Walmart down the street and Internet competition just a click away – retailers need to bring local business home again," says Colin Pape, founder of ShopCity.com. "We've created an entirely new dynamic in favor of the community and small business. When small businesses band together in a ShopCity.com marketplace, they all benefit from increased marketing power and awareness. We provide all the tools they need to connect with customers and succeed online in a single simple-to-use system."

Thousands of communities will finally have an intuitive and prestigious Internet address like ShopNewYork.com, ShopBoston.com or ShopMiami.com that independent businesses can use to promote their products and services online and capture local dollars by encouraging residents to shop and buy local.

Merchants can get up and online easily to generate web sales, accept payments, offer coupons, issue gift certificates and more—with no technical skills required. "If you can check email or update a Facebook profile, you can use ShopCity.com," says Pape. The site helps businesses run a local online marketing campaign that improves results and strengthens the local economy at the same time. It's free to join and the step-by-step process takes just five minutes.

ShopCity is seeking community-minded individuals and Chambers of Commerce to help local businesses reap the rewards of the system. The company has developed a certification program that gives representatives the tools and knowledge they need to help businesses succeed online. This includes a revolutionary iPhone application.

Interested businesses, economic development professionals, Chambers of Commerce, municipalities, neighborhood organizations and individuals are invited to learn more by watching videos that explain the program at www.shopcity.com, by calling 1-877-430-SHOP (7467) or emailing [email protected].