How to Apply for the BC Launch Online Grant and Get Up to $7500

The COVID-19 global pandemic has impacted the way we all work, play, and shop. If you find yourself reaching for your phone rather than a shopping cart to buy your essentials, you’re not alone.

According to Statistics Canada, retail eCommerce sales reached a record $3.9 billion in May 2019, representing a 99.3 percent increase over February of the same year. Year over year, eCommerce sales were up 110.8 percent — more than double compared to May 2018. So while many businesses struggled to keep their doors open, those positioned to capture on-line retail demand were able to sustain and even grow revenue through these hard times.

Some good news! The BC government just announced the Launch Online Grant Program. The grant provides up to $7500 to small and medium-sized businesses to launch or significantly improve their eCommerce business.

The good news!

There is $12 mIllion dollars set aside in the fund as part of the StrongerBC Economic Recovery Plan.

The bad news?

The grants are going to be awarded on a first-come first-served basis to small and medium-sized businesses in BC. The Launch Online application can be found here.

The money will go fast. So get moving!

Here’s how we can help.

As a part of the grant qualification, you must work with a BC-based marketing agency to qualify. As a marketing and web design agency owned and operating in BC, TPM is positioned to help you take advantage of this immense opportunity. Contact us as soon as possible, if you are interested in working with us on your application.

Does my business qualify for the Launch Online grant?

The following are the basic qualification requirements:

• The business is owned by a B.C. resident or residents;
• The business’s sole or primary operations are located in B.C.
• The business:
  • Is currently operating;
  • Is registered in B.C.;
  • Employs less than 149 B.C. residents;
  • Pays taxes in B.C.
  • Maintains a
    • Business license number
    • GST number
    • PST and WorkSafeBC number (where applicable)
  • Generated sales of more than $30,000 in the past year (in 2019, or in the year preceding the application)
  • Has repeatable products, or in the case of artists and jewellers, individual items that have slight differences (i.e. paintings or rings)
  • Does not currently have an online store or has an online store that has no more than three of the five identified online store features
    • Customer registration and information security features
    • Shopping cart and order management capabilities
    • Payment processing options including application of appropriate taxes and shipping costs at time of ordering
    • Product catalogue, search and inventory status
    • Website analytics and reporting capabilities

*Your current website cannot have more than three of the five online-store features listed.

The grant will pay for up to 75% of eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $7,500 per business.

As part of the requirements, qualifying businesses must be ready to start and finish their online shop within 12 weeks of qualifying for the grant. At TPM, we pride ourselves on quality and speed, so we will work with you to get your MVP website up and running within the required time.

Here is an example of a Launch Online grant proposal for an eCommerce website built on a platform such as Shopify, Squarespace or WordPress (WooCommerce). This plan would get you set up with 3 content pages and up to 20 products.

Proposals must articulate how you plan to use the funds and outline the estimated costs allocated towards the three areas: Service Provider(s), Digital Customer Acquisition, and Staff Training.

The proposal should outline the current state of your digital presence if any, and a plan for improving or establishing an eCommerce presence. We can help you to write your grant proposal.