One of the major changes to our daily routine as a result of Covid-19 is how we shop. The Office for National Statistics reported that online retail sales reached record levels last year. By June it found that nearly one-third of all sales were online, and 50 per cent of the UK’s non-food retail sales were too.
At the same time, charities’ incomes have been devastated by the cancellation of mass participation and other fundraising activities: a recent survey found 83 per cent of charities say their revenue has been hit, while demand for their services has simultaneously increased by 75 per cent.
But people want to help, now more than ever, and innovative ways to support charities are emerging at pace. Now we have a new way for our readers to support The Big Issue’s charity arm so we can help our vendors through the crisis – all while simply shopping online.
The Big Issue Foundation has joined forces with Kindred, which has created a web browser extension – The Big Issue Clever Shopping Companion – that donates cash back to charity as you shop online.
To use The Big Issue Clever Shopping Companion, you download and add it to your web browser, then any time you shop at over 25,000 brands you can earn cash back, which you can then donate to The Big Issue Foundation to help support our vendors.
On average, cash back sits at just under 10 per cent, which means that you can donate almost £10 for every £100 you spend thanks to Kindred. Adding the browser also offers members discounts, cash back deals and opportunities to support The Big Issue Foundation in other ways.
