New online directory lets you search which stores are still trading

Customers struggling to find which businesses are open and trading through the pandemic have been thrown a lifeline in the form of a new directory website, ShopOpenings.

The online portal, built as a partnership between Mastercard and data insights firm Sixth Sense, is free to use, updated daily and allows Australians to search which businesses are open based on the past week of their payment history through Mastercard.

As a result, shops don’t need to register to be featured on the site, as it will record them as ‘open’ provided they are taking payments. 

However, should the business in question not have had any Mastercard payments recently they will be classified as ‘no info’ on the site.

Businesses that are categorised on the site include restaurants, grocery stores, department stores, apparel stores and bookstores, among others.

StoreOpenings is part of Mastercard’s wider Recovery Insights programme, which has been designed to support business and government across the globe to manage the health, safety and economic risks presented by Covid-19.

“Enabling smarter decisions with better outcomes is our goal. It’s what airlines, restaurants, CPG brands, banks, governments and countless others are seeking right now,” said Raj Seshadri, Mastercard president of data and services.