The new online platform aims to modernise traditional commerce, bringing merchants and customers together in one digital space
The municipal council of Vila Real de Santo António has launched VRSA Digital, a new online platform designed to modernise traditional commerce and boost the local economy.
Unveiled on Saturday at a public event at the town’s main square Praça Marquês de Pombal, the platform is part of the Bairros Comerciais Digitais programme, funded by Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). The project represents a total investment of €895,212 and was approved in August 2023.
Accessible at www.bairrodigital.vrsa.pt, the platform allows users to browse and purchase products and services from local businesses online, both within and outside the municipality, in a bid to bring merchants and customers together in one digital space.
Speaking at the launch, mayor Álvaro Araújo said the platform is more than a technological tool. “It is an invitation to collaborate, unite, and value our local economy. It’s a space where every store has a voice, every product has a place, and every customer has direct access to the quality of our commerce,” he stated.
Currently, 90 businesses are registered on the platform, mainly from the Open-Air Shopping Centre in the town centre. Council officials aim nonetheless to expand the initiative to include all businesses in the municipality by September 2025.
The marketplace was developed in partnership with CTT, Mygon, and Marketividade, the latter responsible for creating the VRSA Digital brand identity.
Says the municipal council in a statement to the press, the initiative aims to position Vila Real de Santo António as a borough with a “strong commercial identity” that is embracing digital transformation. It also seeks to strengthen community ties and create new ways to promote local products and services, it adds.
