SHOPPERS are being urged to back East Renfrewshire businesses digitally this Christmas as a growing number of them turn to online sales in a bid to survive the coronavirus pandemic.

In a survey carried out for the Scotland Loves Local campaign, 44% of traders in the Barrhead area said they are now able to take online orders, with 14% having made that possible since the start of lockdown in March.

And that could prove to be a lifeline for many ‘non-essential’ shops, which were ordered to close their doors until December 11 as East Renfrewshire was moved into Level 4 of the Scottish Government’s lockdown rules.

Phil Prentice, chief officer for Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP), which launched the Scotland Loves Local campaign, told the Barrhead News: “Whether in-person or online, it’s vital that we all think local first for all of our shopping needs.

“While many businesses have had to close their doors as part of the mass effort to slow the spread of coronavirus, a great number of them are still trading digitally and need our support.

“To help their survival and support a strong future for East Renfrewshire’s high streets, it’s critical that we don’t automatically turn to internet giants online but instead look at what our local shops are offering digitally – browsing their virtual shelves as we would the physical ones.

“The pre-Christmas period is critical for the region’s businesses. If we all buy as many gifts as we can locally – virtually or physically, when restrictions allow – it will make a massive difference. ”

Mr Prentice said that, since the outbreak of coronavirus, local shops have gone “above and beyond” to find safe ways of staying in business.

For more information about the Scotland Loves Local campaign, visit www.lovelocal.scot.