Would $1200 of COVID Small Business Support help you get online in 2021? Victoria's Digital adaptation program explained 

7 -10 Minute Read

If your business wasn't ready for the move online in 2020 because of COVID, chances are you weren't the only one. In between adapting to lockdowns, the challenge of 'working' from home or gasp (home schooling) it might have been all too much to think about a new website or selling your services and products through it.

But luckily, It’s not too late to get $1200 towards digital marketing for your small business. As part of a $20 million package of COVID-19 Small Business Support announced in September 2020, the Victorian Digital Adaptation Program aims to assist with the costs of transition to e-commerce as part of a trial program.

Sections In This Article:

What support does the Victorian Digital Adaptation Program offer?

What is the process for the Victorian Digital Adaptation Program?

What small businesses are eligible for COVID 19 business support as part of the Victorian Adaptation program?

What programs are included in the Digital Adaptation Program and how can they help my small business?

Will more digital products be added as part of the Small Business COVID 19 Victorian Adaptation support package?

Funding is available for Victorian Small Businesses to take payments online through their Digital Adaptation Program. Pic by Paul Felberbauer on Unsplash

The Small Business support program is designed to help small businesses transition their digital operations in response to the changing market environments brought on by COVID 19 by offering a $1200 rebate on specific software products and programs as well as trials and workshops to assist the process.

The rebate program encourages small businesses to

• Buy a new product not currently used by the business

OR

• Upgrade an existing product with additional product features providing specific digital adaptation (such as upgrading an existing website by transformi ng it into an e-commerce site)

OR

• Resume using a partnered product (if this was used by the business more than a year ago) they can apply for the rebate.

Businesses must register for the Victorian Digital Adaptation Program by 28 February 2021.

Businesses must apply for the rebate applicable as part of the Digital Adaptation Program by 11.59pm on 31 MAR 2021 or until funds allocated have been exhausted.

Businesses can not use the Small Business Digital Adaptation program to renew existing products or software licences, minor updates to existing products (such as a software version update) or to purchase products outside those specified as part of the program guideline.

The Digital Adaptation program offers Covid 19 Small Business support on a trial and rebate program applicable to a select number of digital products designed to smooth the transition to online and cloud based products.

Programs included in the Digital Adaptation Program are accounting and bookkeeping software MYOB and Xero, online payment solution Square, e-commerce platforms Squarespace & Shopify and a specialist product for hospitality businesses, Mr Yum.

1. Eligible small business will need to register as part of the program to confirm their eligibility to participate in the product trials and workshops. There will be unlimited trials you can choose to participate in to choose your product. You will be prompted one month after registering to purchase a partnered program digital product.

2. Small business applicants will sign up and purchase their preferred digital product of the product suppliers engaged in the digital adaptation program.

3. Once purchased, small business applications can apply for the rebate of $1200 to cover 12 months access to the product of their choice.

4. Six weeks after you have applied for the rebate, the business applicant will be contacted to confirm and after supplying proof of use of the product you purchased has been used to transform your digital, you may be issued with a rebate. Additional calls will take place at 6 months and 12 months after your participation in the rebate program requesting feedback and will be required to pay for the ongoing costs after the initial 10 month period the program covers.

Small businesses, sole traders, microbusinesses and registered not for profit organisations registered under the Charities Act may register for the Digital Adaptation Program. Registration closes on 28 February 2021 and can be completed here

To apply, the applicant must meet the following criteria:

• Operate a business located in Victoria

• Hold an Australian Business Number (ABN)

• Have held that ABN on 13 September 2019

• Be registered for Goods and Services Tax on 13 September 2020

If businesses are not required by relevant taxation legislation to be registered for GST, they may also be eligible.

Not for profit organisations that are not registered for GST but are registered with the Australian Charities and Not For Profit Commission are also able to apply.

You could get a $1200 rebate towards transitioning your business from bricks and mortar to e-commerce with website platforms like Shopify or Squarespace.

A total of six digital products were included as part of the trial and rebate Digital Adaptation program as part of the first round announced in September 2020. The digital products range form accounting/bookkeeping software, online payment platforms, e-commerce programs designed to replace your website and even a specific product aimed at assisting hospitality businesses adapt to Covid normal.

Whether you decide to participate in Victoria's Digital Adaptation Program or not, here are the Digital solutions involved and why you might consider them for your small business moving forward.

Mr Yum

Small businesses in the hospitality space felt severely impacted by the many different stages of COVID 19 restrictions. Entrance and number caps on venues, limited to pick up and delivery, many cafes and restaurants have been doing it tough not just surviving, but continuing to adapt to the swiftness of Covid regulations.

Mr Yum is a Melbourne based software company deemed by many as the saviour of the food and restaurant scene since COVID.

Mr Yum is exclusively focusing on streamlining operations for the food and beverage industry with a web based platform that requires no hardware or specific apps.

Mr Yum has a lot of great features for hospitality businesses such as:

- Free Visual Menu so you can display your wares digitally

- QR Code Instore Online Ordering so you can do away with physical menus and take payment without punching into a reader

- Integrations with most POS systems so you can print and send dockets to your kitchen or bar easily

- Easy to use dashboard you can update instantly if you want to change your menu to sell more of a particular dish or remove an item if it runs out

But one of the most welcome benefits will be the ability to bypass the super high commissions of the popular app platforms and place orders for pick up and delivery (that you can fulfill yourself.)

Plus the direct marketing features give you the tools to test and implement campaigns to your existing customers to keep them coming in and increase their dollar spend. You can collect emails, drive loyalty and repeat purchases with targeted coupons or discounts and even retarget to them on facebook if you integrate your pixel.

Mr Yum has simple pricing plans too. You can start by using the visual menu for free (make an impact by adding it to your google business or social pages.) Their In Venue ordering service is 1.9% of your order plus a 1.7% card fee OR you can accept Pick Up and Delivery Orders for 2.9% of order value + 1.7% card fee and you have to option of passing this card fee onto your customers too.

If you’re a cafe or restaurant, Mr Yum is definitely worth checking out.

Xero

Xero is an online only software program designed to streamline many of your finance and admin tasks involved in operating your business and makes tracking your numbers easier for small businesses operators and their bookkeeper or accountants Xero can integrate with your bank accounts so you receive instant transaction data so you can reconcile your sales easily, but also allows you to send invoices and quotes, manage payroll, track inventory, claim expenses, pay bills and get real time reports in the one place

If you find balancing the books a bit tedious, Xero could simplify this all for you.

MYOB

MYOB has been an accounting software staple for the longest time, but their digital edition brings this all into the current century. There are a range of MYOB plans depending on your business needs, but their Single Touch Payroll feature allows accurate reports and the ability to pay your employees simply, track and prepare your BAS and GST, send quotes and invoices, accept card and BPAY payments, manage bills and expenses as well as track projects costs by linking income and expenses to a job or location.

See if MYOB could benefit your business here

Square

If your small business never sold online before Covid and are still taking credit card details over the phone, you could benefit from a digital payment upgrade.

Square is a multifunctional payment gateway that streamlines the payment process in a number of different ways. Offering different software and hardware payment solutions, and even a website platform to go e-commerce, Square can help you transform how you get paid quickly and easily.

If you have a bricks and mortar shop, get paid in person and accept chip and card payments through their Square Terminal, Square Reader or Square Stand.

You can start getting paid securely online through an online checkout which allows you to send payments through links and buttons (so you don’t even need to have a website), send digital invoices or use a virtual terminal. Square even has its own website builder that is free to start if you want to dip your toes in the e-commerce pond and keep everything integrated seamlessly.

You can schedule appointments and get paid virtually or on mobile if you consult or offer services. Square even has a complete restaurant Point of Sale System.

Square’s main point of difference is their focus on flat fees per transactions for most of their products and starting at 2.2%, this is quite competitive compared to other payment solutions.

Being able to track sales, inventory as well as facilitate payments in the one place could be time saving for many different kinds of businesses.

Square is more than just a payments platform, it’s a complete online business solution and you can definitely start small and it can grow with as you go along.

Find out more about Square here

Squarespace

Squarespace is a website and e-commerce platform where you can easily build a site yourself to sell your products online. By using templates and a simple drag and drop editor, you can customise both the look and content of your website fairly easily without the need to be a wiz at coding. You can transfer domains, integrate with a range of apps and accept payment Based on a subscription model, you find a template you like, customise and add your text, images and products and connect your domain and payment and you're ready to sell.

If you have ever thought of creating an online store or selling through your website yourself, Squarespace offers everything you need to get your site up and running and looking slick.

Squarespace is good for:

- Professional Service based businesses or creatives who want an updated look and to sell their work or get paid online.

- Product Based small businesses with a smaller range may benefit from the different pricing structures Squarespace offers and it may be less overwhelming for beginners.

Squarespace website plans start from $16 per month and e-commerce stores from $25 per month with a range of features included. See full details of platform and inclusions with Squarespace here.

Shopify

Shopify is also an ecommerce platform and is a preferred option for many product based businesses and web developers.

Also based on a subscription model and using a drag and drop interface with templates, the main differences between the two are the level of customisations possible.

Shopify has additional plug ins and apps and even a marketplace of partners you could work with should you wish to develop custom features for your new e-commerce site.

Shopify is great for:

• businesses with a large range or extensive product catalogue who will benefit from the full suite of e-commerce possibility the Shopify platform offers.

Service based businesses or those with only a small number of products may find both the rates and the back end a bit more complex to navigate than other platforms although there are both app integrations you can purchase and an increasing number of developers (certified ones can become shopify partners) who can assist with customising your site to what you need.

Shopify plans start from US$29 per month + about 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction. Check out Shopify features and plans here.

Additional programs are supposed to be announced towards the start of 2021. Visit the Digital Adaptation Program Website for updates.