LITTLETON, Colo. — A city-run cash back program is steering shoppers towards downtown Littleton and pumping local dollars into small businesses, city leaders say.
Open Rewards launched as a pilot in 2023 by Littleton’s economic development office. It gives customers 5% cash back when they upload receipts from participating shops and restaurants to an app. The cash can be spent again at other businesses in the program, creating a cycle of local spending, supported by the city budget.
“We started with a few dozen, then a few hundred, and now we have over 3,000 users for the program,” Littleton’s Director of Economic Development Rachel King said. “Through the program, we have seen almost $2 million in economic activity stimulated by our city investment.”
The program is open to nonresidents as well as those who live in Littleton, encouraging tourists to spend their money in Littleton. Businesses that join receive marketing materials to advertise their participation, and the city proactively reaches out to new businesses to help them sign up.
“Littleton in particular has a really high percentage of local small businesses, and we know that’s a core piece of our economy,” King said. “It helps us retain businesses that have been here for a while, increases shopping activity at those businesses, and it also helps us when businesses want to expand and relocate here to Littleton.”
Mayor Kyle Schlachter said the initiative is part of a broader push to showcase Littleton’s charm as a hub for family-owned shops and unique, small retailers. The cash-back program, while funded by the city budget, encourages shopping which increases sales tax revenue for the city.
“When we have people spend money here in Littleton, those sales tax dollars are going back into the community, and we reinvest that into our roads, into our infrastructure, into everything that we do here,” Schlachter said. “We are basically paying people to come to Littleton, to shop in Littleton and spend their money here.”
Open Rewards will temporarily boost its baseline incentive during the city’s Candlelight Walk and Small Business Saturday events. Shoppers are participating businesses will receive 10% cash back on Friday, November 28, and Saturday, November 29, to encourage holiday shopping.
To download the iPhone version of the Open Rewards app, click here.
To download the Android version of the Open Rewards app, click here.
