A boutique is a small retail store which focuses on selling unique items, or items targeted at a niche market. Boutiques are established to sell a wide range of things, although products like clothing, food, or jewelry are common offerings. Many people associate boutiques with elite, special products, and they may pay a premium for goods purchased in a boutique. Many resort towns and areas which cater to wealthy populations have a high concentration of boutiques in their shopping districts.

At one point, any small shop was considered a boutique, and most stores were in fact boutiques since merchants usually focused on a single product, like fabric, produce, fish, and so on. The word is French in origin, and derived from the Old French word botica, for apothecary. Around the 1950s, people starting referring to specialized, elite fashion shops as “boutiques.” This meaning of the word quickly obscured previous usages, and spread to include any highly specialized or fashionable store.

Many people think of a boutique as a standalone shop with a single owner. However, some high-end shopping chains actually own multiple boutiques; these stores may be scattered in wealthy areas all over the world. Chain boutiques sell specialized products and target a very specific market, just like their standalone counterparts. These stores may have very well marketed and recognized brands; Tiffany's is a good example of a boutique with international branches, with its distinctive little blue boxes and their contents being prized and coveted objects for some people.

A boutique may also be part of a larger department store or shopping center. In this sense, the boutique offers higher end versions of items sold in the general departments of the store, or it sells very specific products with an elite twist. A department store might have a lingerie boutique, for example, using the social cachet of shopping in an elite store to encourage people to buy more lingerie than they might otherwise.

The term “boutique” is also used more generally to talk about a business which offers tailored products or services for a very limited market. A boutique law firm, for example, might focus on a specific aspect of legal practice, while a boutique butcher offers traditional butchering services and handles unique special orders. Many people associate boutiques with quality, personal attention from staff, and generally higher prices which are considered reasonable because of the perceived quality of the products on offer.