Design and Development of Bila Market: A Digital Platform for Local Economic Empowerment

Bila Market is a web-based platform developed to support local commerce in Vila Real, Portugal. It aims to connect consumers and small businesses through a user-friendly application that includes features such as product search, online reservations, promotional campaign management, and real-time notifications. The project responds to the growing need for digital inclusion in local retail, increasingly overshadowed by global e-commerce platforms. The application was developed using an agile methodology (Scrum), supported by user stories to define and prioritize requirements. Its architecture follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern and integrates technologies like .NET, SQL Server, and Google Places API to ensure scalability and maintainability. This paper describes the design and development of Bila Market , outlining the main implementation steps and technical challenges, such as time format conversion and stock control. Although the platform has not yet been released to users, it constitutes a functional prototype with strong potential for local economic impact and future expansion.