Intuit QuickBooks Canada is set to announce plans to work with Digital Main Street as the organization looks to help Canadian small businesses digitally transform.
The global accounting and financial services company is joining forces with Digital Main Street over the next year in an effort to help the non-profit reach its goal of getting 50,000 Canadian small businesses online through its ShopHERE powered by Google initiative.
“Now more than ever, digital transformation is key to small business success.”
– David Marquis, Intuit Canada
ShopHERE was initially a City of Toronto program focused on developing e-commerce storefronts for local independent businesses and artists. The initiative was launched in May, as many small businesses were struggling to survive due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a Google Canada commitment of $1 million, ShopHERE went national with a goal to set up 50,000 online stores across the country. Facebook later committed its own $1 million in ad credits for the program.
Intuit QuickBooks Canada is joining a number of other tech companies also supporting ShopHERE, including Shopify, which is offering its services to help businesses build and launch online stores. Microsoft, TribalScale, FreshBooks, BrainStation, and Juno are also among those offering support.
“Our partners have been at the heart of everything we have done over the last 5 years, supporting over 20,000 businesses across Ontario and now the country,” said John Kiru, executive director of Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas, which operates Digital Main Street.
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“With the need for digital adoption amongst small main street businesses amplified by these unprecedented times, we are thrilled to have Intuit Canada joining our network that also includes: Google, Mastercard, Shopify, Microsoft, and Facebook,” Kiru added. “We are looking forward to working with them to continue increasing our capacity and support resources for the small main street business community.”
In addition to supporting ShopHERE, Intuit QuickBooks Canada is also committing to helping Digital Main Street with other programs. According to Intuit, it will help the Toronto non-profit advance its online web platform and increase the capacity of Digital Main Street’s Digital Service Squad, a team of trained students and recent graduates that provide one-on-one assistance to business.
Intuit QuickBooks Canada has not disclosed a dollar amount behind its commitment to work with Digital Main Street.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to help our main street small businesses get through this crisis,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory. “The Digital Main Street program operated by the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) would not be possible without the generous community and corporate support of the partners involved. I am thrilled that Intuit Canada is joining the Digital Main Street network today to strengthen the support already in place for main street businesses through this innovative program.”
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Data collected by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) in July found that just over half (57 percent) of Canadian businesses were open at the time. More than half of those surveyed at the time (53 percent) predicted it will take more than six months to get back to normal profitability, with almost one in three (30 percent) saying it will take more than a year. Five percent expressed concern they would never get back to normal profits.
“Now more than ever, digital transformation is key to small business success,” said David Marquis, country manager for Intuit Canada. “We are thrilled to be joining Digital Main Street to help Canadian small businesses get online and equip them with important digital skills they need to recover and grow.”
