Startup Buy Kiwi is urging New Zealanders to support local businesses amid a retail downturn.

Buy Kiwi launched 12 months ago and aims to capture 0.5 per cent of the e-commerce market before 2027.

Currently, the platform has more than 500 local businesses listed offering more than 40,000 products for sale.

“We help local businesses thrive for the greater good of their local communities and the jobs they create,” said Scott Russell, Buy Kiwi director.

“Also, by shopping with New Zealand businesses, purchases are covered by New Zealand’s Consumer Guarantees Act, which may not be the case when you make purchases overseas.”

Russell warned that many e-commerce sites with a co.nz in their URLs are not Kiwi-owned and are often overseas-based or owned.

Buy Kiwi ensures that all businesses on its platform are at least 80 per cent New Zealand-owned.

“If each Kiwi could divert $25 of spending a week from overseas companies to Kiwi-owned businesses, that’s an extra $5 billion a year that will stay in New Zealand,” said Russell.

“It just goes to show that together, we can make a real difference, and every little bit counts.”