Eligible Costs

  • Costs related to the implementation or improvement of a digital e-commerce plan (e.g. online reservation/booking tools, online ordering systems, electronic payments)
  • Costs related to website search optimization
  • Note: plan cannot be used solely for website search optimization, it needs to be tied to overall eCommerce implementation plan, and not a standalone item
  • Costs related to the installation of an e-commerce platform (including subscription fees/costs);
  • Costs of back-office solutions to support an e-commerce strategy
  • Costs of social media advertising
  • Note: plan cannot be strictly social media advertising, it needs to be tied to overall eCommerce implementation plan, and not a standalone item
  • Costs related to the creation of customer databases
  • Hiring a consultant/agency to execute Digital Marketing initiatives related to your e-commerce store
  • Development of new e-commerce website
  • Upgrading existing eCommerce site for added functionality (i.e., new plugins, or features);
  • Please note redesign of an existing site is not eligible
  • E-commerce software including:
  • Software to track and manage product inventory, as well as fulfill and ship orders,
  • Software for product databases
  • Software to track sales, market to customers, offer discounts, maintain a loyalty programs
  • Software to simplify marketing
  • Cyber Security software or certifications
  • Hardware and accompanying software up to 20% of total grant amount
  • As for examples of limited coverage for software, it would be any software that is bought with the equipment that is required to support an e-commerce strategy. For instance, if a small business buys a new e-commerce integrated point of sale (POS) system that costs $1,300 (including software), CDAP will cover 20% or $260.
  • * Please note all eligible costs must be directly tied to the sale of goods and services online (i.e. online reservations/ordering or chat bot function on website), and you will need to clearly outline this in your application.