E-Merge

E-Merge

The E-Merge programme provides £2500/€2800 fully-funded consultancy support to help businesses develop online sales and eCommerce solutions.

Support is provided in a range of areas including:

• How to promote and sell online e.g. E-Marketing, Social Media
• Website management
• SEO optimisation
• Identification of sectoral e-markets
• E-commerce
• Online payment systems/ billing/ security
• Product listing
• Product packaging & labelling
• Pricing/price matching/batch offers/discounts
• Secure logistics/ delivery methods
• Customer service/ managing satisfaction ratings
• Legal & Insurance implications

Eligibility Criteria

Businesses should:

• Be an SME with less than 250 staff and £40Million turnover, priority will be given to companies employing less than 100 or those with turnover of less than £10m / or euro equivalent.
• Be an indigenous business registered in Ireland or Northern Ireland (Companies from Ireland must hold a valid Tax Clearance Certificate)
• Be active in either the manufacturing or tradeable services sectors. By tradeable services, InterTradeIreland requires the business service to be delivered in the cross border market, and not just to attract customers from the cross border market to their service business in the home market. (See list below of ineligible sectors)
• Have an established trading history and have a proven track record in their home market. (ie. minimum 12-18months trading history)
• Have an established trading record in cross border trade (ie. selling products/ services in the cross border market) or have identified a potential opportunity for future cross border trade.
• Have increasing cross border trade as the primary focus of the project.
• Must be able to complete the E-Merge project within 4 – 6 weeks of approval.

Ineligible Sectors: Businesses involved in:- Wholesale & Personal Services; Distribution; Tourism; Hospitality; Primary Agriculture; and Professional Business Services are not eligible for assistance under this scheme. However, applications from these sectors will be considered if the business has developed a unique product, system or process that provides additional value to the core business activity.

Please Note: The funding is provided under the European Commission Regulation on De Minimis Aid as stated in the application for E-Merge. The business must provide InterTradeIreland with details of all other De Minimis aid which has been granted to the business within the past three years. It should be noted that a false declaration by a business resulting in the threshold of €200,000 being exceeded could later give rise to the aid being recovered with interest.