To support local companies nationwide in times of the corona virus, the Cologne start-up LOLOCO, sponsored by the Excellence Start-up Center GATEWAY of the University of Cologne, has launched the online charity campaign "Ein Herz für Händler" (A Heart for Retailers). Following the German motto "Gemeinsam durch dick und dünn" (Together through thick and thin), LOLOCO offers its customers T-shirts or hoodies in its online shop (www.herz-für-händler.de), with which they can show their solidarity with local shops.
All proceeds from the sale are passed on to the companies as a donation. The customers decide how much they want to pay and whom they want to support with their purchase. They can either select already registered retailers or suggest companies themselves. Shopkeepers throughout Germany can register and benefit from the solidarity of the people.
Malte Hendricks emphasizes the urgency of the campaign: "The retailers are very important to us. They are the ones who make the cities worth living in for us residents. That is why we want our initiative to help as many shops as possible to survive this crisis. Now every person and every cent counts", says the LOLOCO founder.
The coronavirus and its effects have hit the retail trade, gastronomy and service providers hard. The nationwide closures are causing countless local businesses to fear for their existence. "Turnover has dropped to zero overnight," report Helmut and Beatrix Schäfer, who have been running a small sports shop in Cologne for over 40 years.
The online shop is nationwide. No matter in which region of Germany, shoppers can purchase and personalize various items in the online shop.
To ensure that as many local businesses as possible benefit from the proceeds of the sale, all donations that are not directly allocated to a store by the online buyers are distributed proportionally to all participating retailers via the LOLOCO parachute. So the higher the willingness to pay, the more financial support reaches the local shops.
In addition to financial support and solidarity, the initiative "A Heart for Retailers" also provides the participating retailers with information on immediate financial aid from the federal and state governments and with tips: The HELP blog bundles current important information and local shops receive suggestions and instructions on how to use digital tools such as social media and messenger services or video telephony in order to supply their customers during the Corona crisis despite obligatory shop closures.
"A Heart for Retailers" is an initiative of the Cologne start-up LOLOCO, which is supported by the start-up service GATEWAY in the Excellence Start-up Center of the University of Cologne. LOLOCO supports local retailers on their way to digitalization and stands for "Local Loyalty Coin". The start-up offers a fully digital and individual loyalty system for local service providers, restaurateurs and retailers on site.