A new locally owned and designed app, offering shoppers discounts at more than 100 popular Ballarat retailers, is preparing to launch in December 2023.
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The Tickit Australia app will be free for users in December, and will then cost $14.99 per month to access offers from participating Ballarat businesses.
Co-founder Sam Griffin said while there was a fee for users, they would easily make their money back via the big savings on offer.
"We've got some grocery places doing 20 per cent off on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so the money to be saved is massive, and it's all locally owned small businesses, which I think is the best part," he said.
About 100 businesses, spread across a variety of industries, have already signed up to be featured on the Tickit Australia app.
Several hospitality and grocery stores will be participating, but so will gyms, hair salons and beauty outlets.
"We've got chiro, we've got accounting services, and there's automotive, we've got groceries, we've got butcher shops, there's just a massive array of businesses," Mr Griffin said.
"Places like Christie's Furniture is on board, we've got Bartlett Blinds on board, and we've got gyms that are giving $50 off their memberships."
Mr Griffin said they had ensured there was a variety of businesses on the app, so similar organisations from the same area wouldn't be featured, and the total number of outlets would be capped at 117.
"We're offering businesses an exclusivity to their business type and their listing, we're not going to have 10 cafes on Sturt Street doing the same thing," he said.
Some of the likely discounts will include $20 off any pair of footwear at Faull's Shoes, 25 per cent off indoor plants at Avalon Nursery and $50 discounts on tax returns from Mulcahy & Co.
Campana's Ballarat is another business which will feature on the app, with owners Serge and Lou Campana also co-directors in the initiative.
Serge Campana told The Courier they would be offering discounts from both their cellar and deli on Tickit Australia.
In December, a bottle of champagne and an Italian six pack of beer which would usually cost about $68, will be available at Campana's for $45 using the app.
Mr Campana said the deals would be a great opportunity for people to save money during the expensive holiday period.
"In December it's free, so you're not paying for anything, especially for Christmas to be able to get good quality beer and champagne at that price is pretty rare," he said.
Highlighting local retailers
At a time when major chains such as Coles and Woolworths are recording profits of over $1 billion in the past 12 months, Mr Campana hopes the app might encourage more people to shop at local retailers instead.
"It's not a definitive thing, we can't make people [shop local], but hopefully the app and all the local businesses band together and there's a bit of support for people," he said.
"There's something about local, it really means something to a lot of people."
For Mr Griffin, keeping money in the hands of local retailers was the reason he wanted to develop the app.
In the future he hopes to expand Tickit Australia to other cities, and encourage more people to shop with local retailers.
"Next year we're going to expand into the rest of Victoria, and the idea is that when users on the app subscribe, they subscribe everywhere," he said.
"So if I go to Geelong, rather than typing into Google, 'best place to eat', I'll open the Tickit app and see what's trusted and what's local, so I know I'm spending money locally there.
"Hopefully that retranslates when Geelong people come to Ballarat, the Tickit users will open our app and get their hair cut by the barbers that are on Tickit, or go out for dinner to one of the restaurants on Tickit here."
Before that, Mr Griffin hopes the entire community will get behind the Ballarat idea, and support their local retailers during December.
"It's not just a random app that's owned by some corporate business in Melbourne, we are a locally owned app and we're trying to do something good for the city," he said.
"You'll be silly not to get on [Tickit] after a while, because you'll see what value you could be saving from a lot of local businesses in Ballarat."
The Tickit Australia app is set to launch in early December, for updates or to find out how to sign up, visit the Tickit Australia Facebook page.
Once launched, users will be able to download the Tickit app where they can present a QR code to participating retailers to receive exclusive discounts.
