Retail Merchants message:  ‘Think. Shop. Buy. Local’

The Retail Merchants Association will begin signing up members today to participate in its new marketing campaign, "Think. Shop. Buy. Local."

In an e-mail to members this morning, the retail advocacy group breaks down the benefits associated with the campaign.

Merchants participating in the program will be entitled to participate in advertising, receive marketing materials and have access to the Web site the group has created. Once they have access to the Web site, storeowners will be able to order materials, download logos for ads and find talking points for selling the concept.

Both the advertising and the Web site will be launched this month, said Nancy Thomas, president of the local group.

The organization has about 900 members in central Virginia, from mom-and-pop shops to national chains. The campaign is available to all members, including those who have businesses outside of the core Richmond market, she said.

Thomas would not say how much the campaign cost, but it is free for members to join.

Once the Web site launches, consumers also will be able to participate.

The site allows shoppers to find retailers that have signed up, to order magnetic decals promoting the effort and to read a pitch on why they should consider buying at locally owned stores.

Retail Merchants has pushed "buy local" campaigns in the past, but this one takes the concept further by building the interactive Web site for retailers and shoppers.

The marketing on this campaign will be more intense than previous ones, with ads appearing in newspapers, magazines and on radio. There initially will be no television advertising.

It was inspired in part by the 3/50 Project, a nationwide movement that urges shoppers to imagine three local businesses they couldn't live without and then spend $50 each month at each of those businesses to support them.

"The whole idea behind our effort is to drive traffic to locally owned stores," Thomas said.

She says that supporting these businesses is a reinvestment in the economy. Local businesses pay taxes that support schools and governments as well as contributing to local economies, she said.

On average, 45 cents of every dollar spent at a local business stays in the economy, according to Retail Merchants.

Bill Agee, president of Agee's Bicycle Co. and a Retail Merchants board member, said it's important that consumers know the effect that locally owned companies have on the economy.

"We feel it's important that customers see the economic impact businesses have in their communities," he said.

Agee's is one of about 20 businesses that have already committed to the marketing program.

Agee said shopping at locally owned businesses has advantages beyond the economics.

"You get better service and attention [at local shops] because the owners are in the business, and often times, on the sales floor," he said.

David Urban, a professor of marketing and interim business school dean at Virginia Commonwealth University, said campaigns like this are a benefit to businesses, but not a guarantee that customers will stream into stores.

"A lot depends on the product category and the degree to which consumers are willing to consider the local angle in their purchasing," Urban said. "If 'buying Richmond' means making extra shopping trips, or paying higher prices, then the question is how community-minded people are as opposed to wanting to maximize their own economic benefit."

Contact Louis Llovio at (804) 649-6348 or .