Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council has launched a free programme which has been designed to help the growth of local businesses by helping them learn new skills and develop confidence to make the most of the vast digital retail opportunities available.

The Digital Retail Therapy Programme is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland and will be delivered by a host of industry experts. It will include four events giving helpful insights to develop knowledge and skills and a digital mentoring programme providing an in-depth diagnostic audit for businesses of their digital capabilities and 15 hours of free one-to-one mentoring across a range of topics including website and social media marketing, data and analytics, geo-marketing tactics and search engine optimisation.

The first free event, ‘Inspire, Innovate and Invest with New Opportunities in Digital Retail’ takes place on Tuesday 24 April from 9am – 1pm in Armagh City Hotel and topics being covered will include making the most of your website, digital storefronts, retailer marketplaces and how to drive retail through social media.

Attendees will have the chance to hear from digital experts who have helped local and global businesses achieve success including multi-award winning digital marketing consultant Niamh Taylor, Kirsty Nixon who has worked with brands including Sliderobes, the Financial Times and Chain Reaction Cycles and Stephen Kinkaid from website design company, Kobault. A local company will share the benefits they have found since bringing retailing across to digital platforms.

Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge, Craigavon Borough, Alderman Gareth Wilson said: “With a wealth of opportunities on offer in the digital sector, it is important to us that our local businesses are equipped with the right skills and knowledge to tap into this potential. The Digital Retail Therapy Programme will allow local businesses to benefit from insightful events and a mentoring programme providing them with invaluable support and guidance. With the ability to drive long term success for local businesses – this free programme is one not to be missed.”

Niamh Taylor, director of Digital 24 said: “There are over one billion websites on Google alone with the search engine processing approximately 64,000 searches per second, which is why it is vital for businesses, big and small, to have a better understanding of the fundamental concepts of digital marketing. The Digital Retail Therapy Programme is an excellent opportunity for local businesses to achieve this and to gain the knowledge on how to develop and implement a successful digital retail strategy.”

For further information visit www.digitalretailtherapyprogramme.com or to sign up for the first FREE event go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/inspire-innovate-and-invest-with-new-opportunities-in-digital-retail-tickets-44833518260. Call 07737 122955 or email hello@digitalretailtherapyprogramme.com to find out more.