FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26: An initiative aimed at getting Bermuda consumers to shop locally on-line could become an annual event, the Minister of Business Development Patrice Minors said this morning.

The eMonday initiative took place on Monday, November 15, and was developed by the Ministry of Business Development and Tourism, with sponsorship from the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce Retail Division, the Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation (BSBDC) and North Rock Communications.

The Minister told the House of Assembly this morning: “The eMonday initiative did create interest in the community. In the short timeframe between which e-tailers registered to participate, my announcement to the public to encourage participation and the day of the event, 47 e-tailers signed up to participate and of those, 43 offered discounts on eMonday. On eMonday, over 1,200 visitors used the eMonday website to access the participating e-tailers.

“These visitors were predominately Bermuda-based but our statistics also indicated visitors from the US, Canada, the Cayman Islands and the UK. In aggregate, the e-tailers saw over 2,500 visitors and some reported sales, registrations or inquiries that originated from the initiative.

“If we are to ensure that our local economy remains vibrant and viable, then we must support and encourage the development of e-commerce in our local retail sector. Overall, eMonday was considered a worthwhile campaign by those that participated and I am pleased to announce that eMonday will be back next year.

“The intention is that like CyberMonday in the United States, eMonday will be an annual event that will kick off the holiday shopping season.”

Did you take part? Will you take part next year? Email news@royalgazette.bm

More detail on this in tomorrow’s Royal Gazette