At a time when local shopkeepers were forced to close their doors as a result of a global pandemic, Sophie Tarif and Nina van Boxtel launched the boutique.nl platform. A search engine that supports local boutiques and Dutch retailers in their online growth.
Online shopping
It is not new that online shopping is extremely popular. The number of online purchases has been increasing for years, but due to two lockdowns and the closing of physical stores, the percentage of online orders is increasing rapidly. Local boutiques, where the focus is mainly on shoppers, are having a hard time due to the current measures. The number of passers-by in the Dutch shopping streets has decreased by 50% since March 2020.
The pandemic has increased the importance of an online strategy as consumer behavior has shifted – probably permanently – to online shopping. Boetiek.nl supports these entrepreneurs by collecting the local offer and making it searchable for consumers on one site. Handy filters are also available to find sustainable, circular or upcycled products, for example.