Holiday Shopping Trail

Traveling the trail—discovering eastern CT’s downtowns and businesses—was the concept that launched the Chamber’s annual shop local promotion in 2018. In 2020, customers felt more inclined to shop from home, and the Holiday Shopping Trail responded by moving online. Getting local businesses in front of stay-at-home shoppers helped sales in a tough season. 

The website that replaced printed passports provided advantages that make the platform a great choice going forward. Going digital increased measurable participation 300% with active users engaging multiple times, resulting in over 800 entries. The entry structure incentivized purchases, social media connections, in-person shopping, and following links to online stores and videos. The far-reaching campaign achieved over 20,000 impressions on social media. Collected data includes an email list, perfect for future shop local promotions and a benefit for participating stores.