Alternative to online mail order: Lucerne stores present themselves in shopping app

Lucerne is the first Swiss city to use a shopping app to find small stores. 62 stores are already taking part, hoping to gain an advantage in the battle against the online mail-order giants and the demise of shops.

The online platform called Findeling is also in use in six German cities. It is a guide to selected, small, mostly owner-managed stores, the Hirschmatt-Neustadt neighborhood association announced on Thursday at the launch in Lucerne. Participation is open to all small stores in the city of Lucerne.

The app looks like a mixture of online store and social media platform. Local retailers can present their products and offers there; in Lucerne, these include fashion, design, gift, furniture, delicatessen, jewelry and book stores. The range can be filtered and the store locations are shown on a map.

Ordering via the Internet is not the idea behind it, but it is partially possible, according to the initiators. In addition to information and photos, the app also offers curated shopping tours. No major chains are included.

Support from the city

The app is seen as one of the tools in the fight against online mail order giants and the demise of shops. Because many of the small stores in the district do not have the resources for large advertising campaigns, the app came in handy. Participation costs a one-off fee of 300 francs, while company members of the association benefit from a discount. The project is financially supported by the city of Lucerne.

Shopping in the district is in line with the current trend towards individuality and conscious and sustainable consumption, writes the association. In April 2017, the association hired a social media representative to promote the stores, restaurants and bars in the district on online platforms as an online business promotion measure. (SDA)