Getting people to change their food consumption habits and switched to locally-sourced, organic produce can be tricky. Hang on, heard of ‘edible credits’ yet?
Small businesses sometimes need certain funds to get off the ground, but borrowing money from the bank, which can come with high interest rates and fees, might discourage entrepreneurs. At the same time, it can be difficult for up-and-coming sellers of locally-sourced and produced food items to accrue and retain a solid customer base. To help small food stores establish a sustainable economic foundation as well as encourage people to shop ‘local’ in the USA, the service ‘Credibles‘ was set up.
Credibles allow people to purchase credits at certain stores and restaurants that offer food items that are organic or are procured from local farmers. Pick your favourite restaurant or any shop on the Credibles page on your smartphone app; choose an amount you’d like to prepay and simply click the “Buy Now” button. Customers can also prepay their Credibles tab directly at their favored shops.There are no fees associated with using your Credibles at the business, and each one is equivalent to 1 USD when redeemed. Some stores offer extra bonuses like a 10-20% discounts on food.
Businesses that use the Credibles service claimed that they have more regular patrons than before, and prepaid customers seem to purchase more than usual. Can prepaid tabs help boost local small business and encourage customer loyalty? See this video and check out what shop owners say:
Credibles: customers pre-pay a tab at their favorites food businesses from Credibles on Vimeo.
