Shuppy - connecting the Irish abroad with independent businesses based in Ireland .
Supporting local business is currently a hot topic, with more emphasis than ever being put on where items are produced, and money is spent. Shuppy is an online marketplace linking local businesses throughout Ireland with people across the world who want to buy thoughtful gifts and at the same time support indigenous Irish enterprise.
By becoming the marketplace of choice for people buying thoughtful presents close to where friends and families live, the independent Irish retailers listed on Shuppy gain exposure to a global audience.
The ever-growing and hand-selected product range covers everything from handmade arts & crafts to artisan food and drink, and a whole lot more in between! Growing the selection of Irish products is a key focus of the platform as is sourcing sellers who use Irish raw materials.
Peter O'Connell, founder of Shuppy, wanted to find a way to help local Irish retailers
Does the name Shuppy sound familiar to you? Well, it depends on how well you know your Gaeilge! The name is a derivative of the Irish word for shop, which is Siopa, and the plural, which is Siopaí, pronounced Shuppy!
The company was created by Peter O’Connell from County Limerick, who, having seen local retailers close their doors in March 2020, wanted to find a way to help. Living between London and Limerick often meant that Peter faced gift conundrums for those special occasions back home and choosing a thoughtful Irish gift was difficult to do without using a multinational.
Peter’s vision is to create a platform for Irish people everywhere to send meaningful gifts to their loved ones back home in Ireland, with the added feel-good factor of contributing to a fairer world where local businesses will benefit more.
Ireland is awash with talented craftspeople and Shuppy enables them to market their goods across the globe and at this point, the platform has every county in Ireland represented, with over 200 sellers listed on the site.
While some of the sellers are established and successful trading businesses, part of Shuppy’s ethos is to help develop local businesses that are at the earlier stage of their evolution and want to grow, in turn benefitting local and rural communities within Ireland.
Shuppy connects you with independent Irish businesses based in Ireland 
One of the key markets for Shuppy is North America, as many people based here are either Irish or of Irish descent and this group of people has always been incredibly supportive of businesses back in the Emerald Isle.
There is even a specific category on the site where the best of Irish products distributable to North America are listed. Also, Shuppy is an ideal way for the Irish in America to send gifts back home to their relatives in Ireland, as all the product range on Shuppy’s site is available for Irish shipping.
We will leave the last word on this to Shuppy’s founder who says, “Whilst the ultimate aim is to grow Shuppy into a highly successful business, being able to forge relationships and friendships with so many people along the way has made it an enjoyable journey so far which I hope will continue for many years to come!”
To find out more information on Shuppy, check out their website. You can also follow them on Facebook. Instagram and Twitter.
Comments