Press Release 20/05/2021
The last 18 months have been incredibly challenging for businesses across the United Kingdom, with small and independent companies struggling the most. Made in Cymru is the innovative new online marketplace designed to give these independent Welsh businesses the chance to showcase their products to a wider audience.
The world has changed dramatically in the last 18 months, and lockdown and social distancing have meant many small and independent businesses have been forced to close their physical shops. This has had an incredibly damaging impact on their livelihoods and forced them to look for new ways to sell their products, with online retail becoming one of the most successful industries.
However, despite the challenges of the past year, there has been a surge in consumers wanting to purchase locally and support independent businesses. Facebook marketplace and other online e-commerce platforms have seen a rise in popularity, but these methods typically lack cohesion, and it can be tough to display products as they quickly become lost amongst the noise. It is also much harder to process payments securely through these digital listings.
Made in Cymru is the all-new online marketplace designed to help provide an innovative platform for those independent sellers in Wales. Having had a very successful soft launch earlier this year, the platform is now expanding its reach to all those businesses that produce handmade gifts, products and crafts.
The all-new platform has been developed with local businesses in mind, allowing everyone to showcase their products to an interested audience. Made in Cymru offers independent visitors the chance to advertise their handmade goods for free in one of nine core categories:
Alongside being able to choose by product category, consumers will also be able to filter down by county. Each store is giving its own unique URL, allowing them to actively promote their own products and send customers directly to the website. All payments are made through Shopify’s secure, SSL-encrypted platform, giving retailers and consumers complete peace of mind that the purchase is safe and protected.
Michael Gwynne, Founder of Made in Cymru added, “We are really excited to be officially launching the Made in Cymru platform and opening it out to sellers from across Wales. The demand for local, handmade items from independent sellers has never been higher, but after seeing my wife struggling to find a suitable platform that placed all of these sellers in one place, the idea for Made in Cymru was born.
The site has been developed with local businesses in North Wales, and following their positive feedback, we are now rolling it out nationwide to allow every independent company in Wales the chance to retail on the site. Made in Cymru is designed to make it as easy as possible for retailers to expand their reach and place their products in front of a far wider audience. We are already seeing some fantastic brands sign up to the platform and sell their items, and we can’t wait to see how things will grow over the coming months.”
To find out more about Made in Cymru, or to sign your independent business up to the platform, visit https://www.madeincymru.com.
