AlphaBeta Australia has released the results of a new study about the impact of Buy From The Bush.
Grace Brennan started the Instagram account and Facebook page, Buy From The Bush, late last year amid devastating drought and bushfire conditions.
The aim was to encourage Aussies in big cities to buy regional, and support rural businesses.
The campaign quickly attracted fans from around the country who were able to use social media to support Aussie businesses.
Buy From The Bush and Facebook Australia commissioned a report to capture the impact of the campaign in its first four months, with highlights from the results including:
Economic impact
$5,000,000 AUD total revenue uplift in sales for featured small businesses
300% average sales uplift for each business
1 in 5 businesses hired new workers
Three quarters of featured businesses now ship interstate – more than double the share that did so prior to the campaign.
Entrepreneur empowerment
97% of business owners are women, compared to the national SMB average of 34%
45% of business owners learned a new skill, including marketing and IT
Improvement of community wellbeing
90% of business owners experienced improved quality of life across human connection, community relationships, new local businesses
Business owners reported spending their earnings on local goods and services, and attempting to “give back” by volunteering or joining community groups.
Brennan said the results prove the power of community driven action.
“It’s exciting to share the findings of this research which illustrates the impact of our Buy From The Bush campaign on individuals, businesses and communities.
"It’s evidence of how powerful community driven action, enabled by digital technologies like Instagram and Facebook, can be. It has changed lives.
"With ongoing investment I believe Buy From The Bush has the potential to significantly improve economic and social outcomes for rural Australia in the long term.”
Fashion labels to benefit from the campaign included Kennedy The Label, which saw $30,000 in Christmas revenue, a fourfold yoy increase.