HUELVA – The municipalities of Toledo and Minas de Riotinto (Huelva) are supporting their local economy with their respective platforms Bolozon and Mojizon. More importantly, these are alternatives to American internet giants such as Amazon.com.With tightened measures in place for the second wave of corona virus, this made in-store purchases is no longer so easy. As a direct result, more and more people were shopping online. As a consequence, a large part of this was at the expense of local commerce. Meanwhile, billion-dollar companies such as Amazon.com continued to reap massive profits.
Mojizon
This did not go unnoticed by the municipal authorities of Riotinto. For months, the mayor and her councillors of Riotinto were looking for a way to support local businesses. They were already often struggling to survive. This is how the idea arose to promote the products of the local retailers, create an online sales channel and ultimately arrange home delivery. The village’s own Amazon became a fact. It was named Mojizon, named after “los mojinos”, the colloquial name for the inhabitants of Riotinto.
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The retailers advertise their products on the Mojizon Facebook page. This now has more than 1200 followers. Customers can contact the retailers directly, and employees of the municipality arrange the delivery.
Riotinto’s initiative was also noticed in other areas of Spain. The municipality regularly receives phone calls from other municipal authorities asking how they can get a similar project off the ground. Mayor Díaz Cano is proud of her successful initiative. According to her it is relatively easy to set up and is, with the exception of the petrol cost for delivery, completely free of charge!
Bolozon
In the municipality of Toledo a similar alternative to Amazon has emerged, called Bolozon. The city council opted for a website with the products of all local retailers. In the first three days more than a 100 thousand visitors came to the website. Bolozon is also named after the informal name for the residents of Toledo, the “bolos”.
Unlike Mojizon, Bolozon sends the ordered items to customers all over Spain. Here too, the initiative stems from the need of the city council to encourage local commerce after several local shops had to close their doors for good. When the founders noticed that Bolozon turned out to be a success, they further developed the website and expanded. Consequently, they included categories such as food, books, fashion, glasses, jewellery, pets products, children’s fashion, beauty items, craft products, as well as household decoration and appliances. Everything on the website comes from the local shopkeepers in Toledo. Customers can make secure purchase on the website. As a result, they no longer have to leave the house and can 2.95€ postage, enjoy artisanal delicacies from Toledo!
Thanks to Bolozon and Mojizon, the new year also looks hopeful for the retailers from Toledo and Riotinto.
