Holiday Recap – Buy Local Edition

So, did your holiday season look a little like this?

You waited until Dec. 23rd to buy your Christmas tree, and then found yourself shopping for last minute gifts on Dec. 24th? 

You were notified that the presents you bought online were delayed and unable to be delivered in time? 

The presents that were in your possession, you wrapped them until the wee hours of the morning only to have the paper ripped to shreds within seconds on Christmas Day?

Well, you’re in good company because that’s what my Christmas season looked like. However, I must tell you this Christmas season was the best ever, even though I had a super late start! But now that Christmas 2013 is over and done with, here’s my genuine Happy New Year wish to you! I hope your 2014 is off to a great start and that your holiday season was an enjoyable and memorable time. 

So now, the holidays are over, excitement has begun to die down and we’re all back at work, right? This is my first week back after an almost two week vacation around the holidays and I would be lying if I told you it was a super easy adjustment. Vacation is just too fun! However, I fell right back in to the swing of things because I picked up where I left off weeks ago. 

One exciting thing at work this week was analyzing the data of our members’ spending habits with our Buy Local partners over this holiday season. Comparing some partners who been with us since the beginning, and comparing partners who’ve been with us just one year, here are some highlights from holiday season 2013.

  • Oak Knoll Golf Course
    • 4Q 2011 vs  4Q 2013
    • Increase of 994.38% in money spent
    • Increase 414.28% in transactions
  • Giddy Up-N-Go Espresso
    • 4Q 2011 vs 4Q 2013
    • Increase of 538% in money spent
    • Increase of 347.36% in transactions
  • Luis’s Taqueria
    • 4Q 2011 vs 4Q 2013
    • Increase of 110.72% in money spent
    • Increase of 93.54% in transactions
  • Annette’s Café
    • 4Q 2011 vs 4Q 2013 
    • Increase of 69.87% of money spent
    • Increase of  54.73% in transactions
  • Salem Summit Co.
    • 4Q 2012 vs  4Q 2013
    • Increase of 88.65% in money spent
    • Increase of 41.66% in transactions

At Maps, we’re thankful to be partnered with a diverse group of businesses serving not only our membership, but our community. We’re also thankful to see the impact our Buy Local program has on the economy- especially during the holiday shopping season! 

As we enjoy the early beginnings of 2014, I’m happy to report that we’ve got a great team here at Maps Credit Union and CU Wireless who are diligently working on phase two of the app and designing what a scalable Buy Local program will look like. My hope is that by my next blog post, we will have some exciting news to share!

Happy New Year! May success and happiness find you today, tomorrow and the rest of the year!

Amanda

    Amanda Brenneman