Why local buying?

Local Buying refers to redirecting consumer purchase behaviors away from mass-produced goods towards small local suppliers. It is an important step towards achieving sustainable consumption  globally, according to the UN Sustainable Development Goal #12. The benefits of local buying are also very pertinent today in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic: Not only does it help support local businesses in a time of economic pressures, but it also encourages in-person purchase behaviors that are more localized, controllable and traceable, with a smaller field of exposure (compared to malls or large retail outlets).

What is CloseBuy app?

In line with its commitment to promote sustainable living as agents of positive behavior change, BeChange presents “CloseBuy”. This behavior-centric tech solution is designed to influence users to form positive consumer habits that support local businesses and suppliers. Using tested precepts from the Fogg Behavioral Model, CloseBuy combines various behavioral change tools including:

To provide engaging customized user experiences, designed to nudge and enable sustainable local buying habits.

How does CloseBuy work?

This is achieved in a very real sense, through a “Sustainability Calendar”, which makes sustainability a daily and present concept for every user. Each day in the calendar marks a specific event, for example:

The premise of these events provides us an opportunity to:

 

The calendar can be seamlessly integrated with Google/Apple calendars, providing users the opportunity to share events and write notes with their networks, to spread the positive value message on their own accord.

What is the unique value of CloseBuy?

Generally, local buying solutions provide information to help people buy local products right away. I addition, CloseBuy is designed to make a long-term and impactful change in people’s behavior! It asks users to make a habit of opening the app every day and reading the content of the day (It takes less than 30 seconds). The app will do its job to help the user form a local buying habit in the long term.

 

As of now, CloseBuy is only available in Quebec, Canada. However, we are setting our sights to cover other provinces very soon. As we improve our recommendation model to be more convenient and practical, we want to hear from you! Please share your comments or recommendations of businesses to include on our platform. Email us at [email protected]