What is the Trading Online Voucher program and what does it do?

The goal of the Trading Online Voucher program is to help small businesses get their foothold in the online marketplace where they can then trade successfully. According to the data collected and published by Enterprise Ireland only twenty-three percent of small businesses in Ireland are engaged in the digital online marketplace. Consequently, 70% of online purchases from Irish customers happen internationally as a result.

Additionally, IPSOS conducted a survey with more than 1,000 members of the Irish public examining their shopping habits and the results showed that Ireland is home to the largest international base of online shoppers in the world. It logically follows that local businesses could be taking a much larger slice of that online pie if they prioritised their online presence and did it well.

The Trading Online Voucher program has been designed by the Irish government as part of the National Digital Strategy whose aim is to facilitate this transition. On your Local Enterprise Office website, the grant is described as follows: “Under the scheme a qualifying business may apply for matched funding to a maximum value of €2,500 or 50% of eligible expenditure (exclusive of VAT), whichever is the lesser.”

Which means that entrepreneurs looking to qualify fora grant need already to have a prepared project with a budget of five thousand Euros or less so that the Local Enterprise Office can match it. Thousands of Irish start-ups and scale-ups have already participated in this program and if you are considering it as well, all you need to do is get in touch with your Local Enterprise Office where you can begin the application process. 

Before you do that, however, you should probably make sure that your business qualifies for the grant. Let us take a look at that now, shall we?

Which businesses are eligible to apply for the Trading Online Voucher program?

The criteria for small businesses looking to apply for the grant is generally very lenient and shouldn’t be hard to fulfill for most businesses. The business must have a limited online trading network and experience, and must be trading for at least six months before applying for the grant. The program is aimed at small businesses so ten employees or less is one of the specified requirements. The annual turnover is required to be less than 2 million euros. The business must be located in an area covered by the program which means that it must be located within the remit of the participating LEOs.

Which businesses cannot apply for the Trading Online Voucher grant?

This program is not made for semi-state bodies, trade associations, or company representative bodies. Nonprofits are also not eligible unless they also operate in a commercial domain. Your Local Enterprise Office also offers business advice and training seminars that help inexperienced entrepreneurs make informed decisions on the best ways to utilise this grant so it makes no sense for professional and experienced companies to apply which crosses them out as ineligible. Any business deemed by a Local Enterprise Office of being capable of growing on its own is also ineligible for the program. This includes businesses which are already availing similar financial support from other state bodies. The grant cannot be used for conferences or seminars or any other projects deemed contrary to their policy.