Get rewarded for shopping and exploring local businesses with a free new app from .

Created using the 468 Insider platform from the and , the app is available for both Apple and Android and shows all 185 member businesses plus points of interest that make Greater Victoria a great place to live and visit.

B次元官网网址淚f we want people to think and shop local first, we need tools that make it easy and rewarding to do so B次元官网网址� for residents and tourists alike,B次元官网网址� said Paul Hadfield, president of Think Local First. B次元官网网址淭his allows us to create incentives to explore whatB次元官网网址檚 unique about Victoria in a way thatB次元官网网址檚 fun and highlights our local businesses.B次元官网网址�

HereB次元官网网址檚 how it works:

The Think Local First app is both a wayfinding tool and a gamified way to reward people for shopping locally, Hadfield explains.

1. Get the Think Local First app as a free download on the iTunes and .
2. Through the appB次元官网网址檚 Explore button, visit a map of Greater Victoria, with pins indicating the location of local businesses and the areaB次元官网网址檚 unique points of interest, from heritage sites to outdoor recreation destinations.
3. Click on a pin to get more information about that place.
4. Locations are also assigned a point value. Push the B次元官网网址淐ollect PointsB次元官网网址� button while physically visiting a location to add the locationB次元官网网址檚 points to your point total.
5. Redeem points accumulated with the Think Local First app for goods or services at any of the Rewards locations listed in the app.

ItB次元官网网址檚 that easy!

B次元官网网址淎lthough I have been involved with Think Local First for a number of years now, it was only when I downloaded the App that I truly appreciated the number and locations of the many locally owned businesses. As a guide, the Think Local First App is an indispensable tool to discover these gems, many of whom do not expend huge marketing dollars and are too often too little known. The fact that users can collect and redeem rewards for using the App makes it all the more compelling.B次元官网网址�

Why Think Local First?

Research shows that by shifting just 10 per cent of your year-round spending to local, independent businesses, that money circulates two to three times through the local economy, explains Michele Hamilton, managing director for Think Local First.

While B次元官网网址榖ig boxB次元官网网址� stores typically have their support services managed at a far-off head office, independent local businesses make their decisions locally. So, while youB次元官网网址檙e shopping at a local Greater Victoria-based recreation outfitter or grocery store, for example, youB次元官网网址檙e often also supporting local office, accounting and marketing services.

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is a non-profit society directed by a group of enthusiastic volunteers who are all small business owners in Greater Victoria. The organization encourages people to patronize local businesses to keep Greater Victoria a vibrant, sustainable community and make it a better place to live.