Building a Strong Digital Economy in Alberta
Digital Economy Program highlights so far! Over 5,000 Alberta small businesses have digitally transformed!
We're officially halfway through the Digital Economy Program (DEP) and we've already made an incredible impact on small and medium-sized businesses across Alberta! Through our two key initiatives, ShopHERE powered by Google and the Digital Service Squad (DSS), we have provided essential digital transformation support to thousands of businesses, enabling them to thrive in today's digital economy.
To date, we have proudly supported over 5,000 small and medium-sized businesses in Alberta with their digital transformation and online presence. A total of 5081 businesses have been able to find success online and reach more customers, with our support.
By providing guidance on e-commerce website development, search engine optimization, and content marketing strategies for social media, among other valuable services, we have empowered these businesses to achieve sustainable growth online.
Our commitment to personalized support has resulted in over 16,000 hours of dedicated assistance to small businesses, including 9,053 one-to-one meeting between our e-commerce advisors and business owners. This personalized approach has allowed us to give tailored solutions to each unique business need, ensuring they get the support and tools required to succeed and stay current in today's digital landscape.
We are also proud to report that the DEP program has supported 2,895 women-owned businesses, as well as 970 businesses from other equity-seeking communities. By empowering these communities through digital transformation, we are driving diverse and equitable economic growth in the province.
It is incredible to see the number of women-owned businesses and equity-seeking communities that have participated in the Digital Economy Program. It not only speaks to the diversity of entrepreneurs that we have in Alberta, but also shows the importance and the need of the Digital Economy Program among these the various communities.
Nadim Chin | Program Manager, Digital Economy Program (Digital Main Street)
Through our programs, we’ve also created 212 jobs for Albertans. These roles have helped foster essential business and digital skills for many early career professionals, all while supporting businesses in their local communities.
The Digital Economy Program has provided much needed support to thousands of businesses in the province. While business owners are learning digital skills to enhance their business, hundreds of youth are learning practical skills to support the local economy. Youth have learned how to conduct assessments, create digital adoption plans, execution of plans and overall support to the business to increase profits. Not only is the program creating jobs for the service members, the goal is that after the business completes the program, the business will be in a financial place to expand their business and thus hire new employees. The business world is shifting so quickly, it is great to see a local solution for local opportunities.
Heather Thompson |Executive Director, Centre for Cities and Communities (University of Alberta)
We have supported businesses in 240 municipalities across Alberta, and we are excited to continue this support in every community across the province.
We couldn't have achieved all of this without our amazing partners and the small businesses participating in our programs. Thank you for making the Digital Economy Program a huge success! We look forward to continuing to drive sustainable growth and success for small and medium-sized businesses across Alberta.
If you own a small to medium-sized business in Alberta or want to learn more about the DEP program visit https://digitalmainstreet.ca/digital-economy-program/.
