$7500 BC Government Grant Available for E-Commerce Websites

The BC government has pledged $42 million dollars for the program, which will go toward helping B.C. based small and medium-sized businesses create an online sales portal (or improve an existing one). 

How Does It Work?

The government will fund up to 75 percent of eligible expenses for qualifying applicants, up to $7,500 per business.

For businesses seeking online e-commerce, ASC Creative has created a turn-key e-commerce package that satisfies the government grant requirements while also delivering a complete, fully functional e-commerce website that our clients can manage themselves. Our turn-key e-commerce solution starts at a fixed rate of $10,025.00.

Our package includes:

  • Site planning and strategy session to ensure the website fulfils the business goals
  • Setup and configuration of a store
  • Design of a theme to fit your brand-standards and to serve your target audience
  • Configuration of standard e-commerce features
  • Development of additional features such as similar products, coupon codes, inventory management, shipping calculator
  • Admin management of the store, products, categories, images, etc without having to know any code
  • Basic in-site SEO and submission of the new store to Google upon launch
  • Integration with an approved payment gateway for credit card processing
  • Integration with shipping providers for shipping cost calculations
  • Full SSL and PCI compliance
  • Population of the website with content and a few sample products provided by the client
  • Full training for you and your staff on how to manage the website independently…and much more

We have a set scope of work we can provide to you.

For business seeking an online booking system, contact ASC Creative to discuss your project. 

Who Qualifies For The Grant?

Since the grant is aimed at keeping B.C. consumer money in B.C., applicants will be expected to demonstrate that you meet all of the following eligibility requirements:

  • The owner of the company must be a BC resident (or residents)
  • Your business must operate solely or primarily within BC
  • You must be currently operating, and employing BC residents (with employees totalling fewer than 149)
  • You must be registered to, and pay taxes, in B.C.
  • You must have a business license number and a GST number; plus a PST and WorkSafe BC number if applicable

The grant is open only to businesses with a sales component that can reasonably shift to an e-commerce model. To meet these requirements, your business must:

  • Have generated sales of more than $30,000 in either 2019 or the year preceding application
  • Have repeatable products, or, if you sell handmade art or jewelry, multiple unique products with significant similarities (e.g. a series of custom necklaces with different pendants, or similarly-sized paintings of slightly different subjects)
  • Have services that can be “productised’, such as annual snow clearing services. 

The grant is primarily geared toward businesses that don’t currently have an online shop or online booking, but you can still be eligible even if you currently do some online sales activities.

If your business currently has an online shop, you are still eligible as long as you have no more than 3 of the following 5 attributes before you start your project:

  1. Customer registration and information security features (for example, a customer login portal and credit card encryption)
  2. Shopping cart and order management capabilities
  3. Payment processing options that automatically apply taxes and shipping costs
  4. A searchable product catalogue with inventory status
  5. Website analytics and reporting capabilities

OR

If your business does not currently have an online booking system or has an online booking system that has no more than three of the five identified online booking features:

  1. Customer registration and information security features
  2. Schedule navigation and reservation management capabilities
  3. Payment processing options including application of appropriate taxes at time of ordering, if applicable
  4. Automated replies and reminders
  5. Website analytics and reporting capabilities

How Do I Apply?

Applications for the grant are now open! 

The first step for applying is to develop a grant proposal that clearly explains your plan for using the allocated funds, including cost estimates broken down into categories such as online shop development, digital customer acquisition, and employee training.

If you need help creating your grant proposal, contact ASC Creative.

Once you’ve developed your proposal, fill out the application form through the Launch Online Website. The application form will stay open until all the funds have been allocated. You will be contacted by within 3 weeks of your submission.

If you meet the qualification criteria, you will be conditionally approved and asked to provide supporting documentation — such as tax returns and business registration paperwork — to prove that you meet all of the requirements. 

When you are approved, you’ll need to hire a BC-based company or service provider to help you set up your online shop and train your employees.

You’ll also need to be able to submit regular progress reports explaining your process for e-commerce implementation.

Why ASC Creative Ltd.

To apply for this grant, the BC Government requires that you hire a BC-based company as a service provider to setup or improve your e-commerce business. That’s where ASC Creative comes in.

ASC Creative is a BC-based company with over 14 years of combined experience working with companies of various sizes and in various industries to develop secure, functional, and powerful online solutions. The advantage of ASC Creative is that not only do we have experience building, growing, and managing e-commerce websites — we also have in-depth knowledge of current web security best practices.

Our work with thriving e-commerce-based businesses like Ellssi Equipment Rentals showcases our ability to develop clear, highly functional online shops that are scalable and appeal to both local and global customer bases. We’ve worked with owners and managers of businesses of all sizes, ranging from large national e-commerce operations to local B2B providers and neighbourhood shops. 

Whether you’ve been operating your business for decades, or are just starting out, ASC Creative can help you set up your e-commerce website, develop and manage an effective online ad campaign, and create a user experience that’s simple, engaging, and keeps your customers coming back year after year. 

Well, what are you waiting for? The Launch Online grant is an unprecedented opportunity for BC businesses to gain a foothold in the online marketplace. Contact ASC Creative or Book a Meeting today, and let us help you grow. 

Have a Project in Mind?

We have years of experience in building and integrating apps for businesses.  Book a meeting and we’ll give you the benefit of that experience in the form of solid, no-obligation advice about the viability of your idea, next steps and rough timelines and costs. No hard sell here, just an authentic business to business conversation.

Book a Meeting with ASC Creative