A new video-first app for Belfast is launching in the coming weeks to help people find independent shops, cafés and venues near them, and to reward them for backing local.
Independents are under pressure. Energy bills and other costs keep rising, and big ad budgets and agency fees are out of reach for most of them, so the places that give a street its character struggle to be seen. For shoppers, directories are flat, star ratings say little about what a place is really like, and there is no easy way to know what is on nearby today.
CLocal is built around those problems:
- See the vibe first. Places are shown through short videos and stories, so you can watch a place before you go, instead of trusting stars and listings.
- Independents post their own stories. From their phone, with no agency and no ad budget, and local creators can be invited in to film a visit.
- Timed deals, on a map. LocalGems show what is on nearby right now, so shops can put an offer in front of people close by when it suits them.
- Rewards for backing local. People who support independents are rewarded for it, with deals and rewards.
CLocal starts on the Ormeau Road, where shops and cafés are being set up personally ahead of launch.
"Independents give a street its character, and they shouldn't need an agency or a big ad budget to be seen. We've built CLocal so people can see the vibe of a place, back it, and be rewarded for it," said Paul Donnelly, CLocal spokesperson.
The waitlist is open now for South and East Belfast at clocal.co.uk.
