Back in October, Shannon Coulter was doing some late-night browsing on the Nordstrom website.

Before long, the small business owner had a nagging feeling about the department store’s line-up of Ivanka Trump apparel and shoes — a brand she couldn’t help but see in a different light amid the unfolding events of the presidential campaign.

Just days earlier, news had broken of the explosive “Access Hollywood” footage in which Donald Trump bragged about groping women without their consent.

“Something changed for me when the Trump tapes came out,” Coulter recalled in an interview. “Those words were just ringing in my ears.”

And so she decided to take action: Coulter began a campaign called Grab Your Wallet, which encourages shoppers to stay away from retailers that sell all manner of Trump-branded goods, as well as to avoid Trump properties such as golf courses and wineries.

She maintains a meticulous spreadsheet online of the dozens of companies that should be boycotted, including notations about why they’re on the list and updates about the inventory of Trump-branded merchandise they offer.

In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Show all 32 1 /32 In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London An image of President Donald Trump is seen on a placard during the Women's March in London, England Getty In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydney A view of the skywriting word reading 'Trump' as thousands rally in support of equal rights in Sydney, New South Wales EPA In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Rome People shout and hold signs during a rally against US newly sworn-in President Donald Trump in Rome Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London A protester holds a placard during the Women's March in London, England Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Marseille A placard ready 'Pussy grabs back' is attached to the handle bar of a bike during a 'Women's March' organized by Feminist and human rights groups in solidarity with women marching in Washington and around the world for their rights and against the reactionary politics of the newly sworn-in US President Donald Trump, at the Old Port (Vieux Port) of Marseille, southern France Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Bangkok A young Thai girl holds a "women's rights are human rights" sign at Roadhouse BBQ restaurant where many of the Bangkok Womens March participants gathered in Bangkok, Thailand Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Bangkok A Thai woman takes a photo of a "hate is not great" sign at the women's solidarity gathering in Bangkok, Thailand Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Bangkok American expats and travellers gather with the international community in Bangkok at the Roadhouse BBQ restaurant to stand in solidarity in Bangkok, Thailand Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London Protetesters gather outside The US Embassy in Grosvenor Square ahead of the Women's March in London, England Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Marseille Women's March at the Old Port (Vieux Port) of Marseille, southern France Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Marseille Protestors hold placards reading 'My body my choice, my vote my voice' during a 'Women's March' organized by Feminist and human rights groups in solidarity with women marching in Washington and around the world for their rights and against the reactionary politics of the newly sworn-in US President Donald Trump, at the Old Port (Vieux Port) of Marseille, southern France Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Rome A person holds a sign during a rally against US newly sworn-in President Donald Trump in Rome Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Kolkata Activist Sarah Annay Williamson holds a placard and shouts slogan during the Women's March rally in Kolkata, India AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Kolkata Activists participate in the Women's March rally in Kolkata, India AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London A Women's March placards are rested on a bench outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square ahead of the Women's March in London, England Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London A women carries her placard ahead of the Women's March in London, England Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Manila Women protesters shout slogans while displaying placards during a rally in solidarity against the inauguration of President Donald Trump, in suburban Quezon city, northeast of Manila, Philippines AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Berlin Protesters attend a 'Berlin Women's March on Washington' demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Berlin Protesters attend a 'Berlin Women's March on Washington' demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Berlin Protesters attend a 'Berlin Women's March on Washington' demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Melbourne Protesters take part in the Melbourne rally to protest against the Trump Inauguration in Melbourne, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Macau Protesters take part in the Women's March rally in Macau Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Melbourne Womens march on Melbourne protestors marching during a rally where rights groups marched in solidarity with Americans to speak out against misogyny, bigotry and hatred Rex In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Macau Protesters hold placards as they take part at the Women's March rally in Macau Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Macau Protesters hold placards as they take part at the Women's March rally in Macau, Macau. The Women's March originated in Washington DC but soon spread to be a global march calling on all concerned citizens to stand up for equality, diversity and inclusion and for women's rights to be recognised around the world as human rights Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Manila A mother carries her son as they join a rally in solidarity against the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States in suburban Quezon city northeast of Manila, Philippines AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydney An infant is held up at a demonstration against new U.S. President Donald Trump in Sydney, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydney A woman attends a demonstration against new U.S. President Donald Trump in Sydney, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydney A woman expresses her Anti-Trump views in Sydney, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydeney Protesters demonstrate against new U.S. President Donald Trump in Sydney, Australia. The marches in Australia were organised to show solidarity with those marching on Washington DC and around the world in defense of women's rights and human rights Getty In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London Protesters march from The US Embassy in Grosvenor Square towards Trafalgar Square during the Women's March in London, England Getty In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London Protesters carrying banners take part in the Women's March on London, as they stand in Trafalgar Square, in central London Reuters

Those that cease doing business with the Trumps are removed from the list.

The campaign has been chugging along for months, but it has come into a particularly bright spotlight in recent weeks, when big-name chains started to back away from Trump goods, including Neiman Marcus, Belk and, most prominently, Nordstrom — the store that encouraged Coulter to fire up her laptop in the first place.

None of the companies cited the boycott specifically as the reason for dropping the merchandise. Nordstrom said it did so because of falling sales, not politics.

Still, Coulter exemplifies the new and potent possibilities that social media presents for ordinary consumers and voters to catapult an idea for activism from their living rooms to like-minded people across the country — and to the center of the news cycle.

The Women’s March on Washington that took place on the day after the inauguration had a similarly humble beginning, with a woman in Hawaii impulsively creating a Facebook post that ricocheted around the Internet and fast gathered support.

Consumer activist was not exactly a familiar role for Coulter, 45, when she decided to launch the boycott.

“Like many college students, I was more politically minded back then. But that part of my life has been really dormant my entire adult years,” Coulter said.

“I was very much a straight-ahead career girl for the last 24 years, and it feels like that’s changed now.”

But now, Grab Your Wallet has practically become a full-time job: Coulter, a resident of the San Francisco Bay area, has outsourced all of her client work at her small marketing firm.

That marketing background, she says, has been a critical component of her ability to grow Grab Your Wallet.

For example, an early co-collaborator had been using the hashtag #fashionnotfascism to promote a similar idea.

Coulter said she thought the idea was “brilliant,” but also recognized quickly that it was “too strident and unwieldy for the average person.”

Coulter’s career also has given her experience creating social media content for brands, so she came into this with a feel for what grabs readers’ attention in their newsfeeds, and what encourages them to share posts with their own followers.

According to an analysis by Captiv8, a firm that studies social media influence, there have been more than 496,000 “engagements” — likes, retweets, and the like — on Twitter or Instagram posts that include #grabyourwallet.

Captiv8 found that a significant share of those posts originate in California or New York, suggesting the campaign has gotten particularly strong traction in those states.

Coulter’s day-to-day work on Grab Your Wallet comes in different forms: She regularly tracks how much online inventory individual retailers are carrying of Trump-related goods.

And, perhaps most importantly, she spends time on Facebook and Twitter interacting with fellow boycotters.

They often have the best tips on stores from which Trump merchandise has quietly disappeared, and she feels like members of the group get more energized when she communicates with them directly.

There are also frequent decisions to be made about what companies should be on the list.

Chains such as Lord & Taylor or Macy’s easily make the cut because they carry Trump family merchandise.

But other times, it is less cut-and-dried. Bookstores are generally spared, but that could change if any agree to host Ivanka Trump during her upcoming book tour.

Belk has removed Ivanka Trump gear from its website, but not its brick-and-mortar stores, so it is still on the Grab Your Wallet list.

Meanwhile, The Washington Post is “NOT being boycotted at this time,” even though it is owned by Jeffrey P. Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon.com, which makes the list for carrying Trump family products.

On the Grab Your Wallet website, it says that decision came after a majority of boycott participants said in a poll that the Post should be excluded.

Lord & Taylor, Macy’s and Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Despite the boycott, Ivanka Trump brand says its sales overall grew 21 percent in 2016.

“We’ve expanded our categories, distribution and offerings with plans to continue this growth in 2017 and we’re reaching more women than ever before,” the company said in a statement.

While Coulter started the campaign as an outcry against Donald Trump’s treatment of women, it has mushroomed into a more sprawling expression of anti-Trump sentiment.

Some are worried about the conflict-of-interest issues associated with having president with such a tangled web of business ties in the White House.

Others came into the fold after President Trump issued an executive order that barred refugees and people from seven majority-Muslim nations from entering the United States.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

But even as the tent gets bigger, Coulter is determined to keep to goal the same: To not let it turn into an aimless funnel for outrage, but to continue to offer clear, actionable ways for companies to get out of boycotters’ crosshairs. (In this case, to stop doing business with the Trumps.)

Some unsuccessful boycotts, she says, are “just created to punish companies, they’re not created to help them evolve to a more ethical place.”

As Grab Your Wallet grows, so too do new challenges. Coulter has occasionally been bombarded by vociferous e-mails from those who oppose the boycott.

Also, a Facebook page has popped up that Coulter says is not affiliated with her campaign, but uses the Grab Your Wallet moniker and encourages people to boycott Trump goods.

Coulter is frustrated that this page is hawking “Grab Your Wallet” T-shirts, because she worries it will send the wrong message about her initiative.

“It’s so important to me that this not be tied to any desire to make money,” Coulter said.

Coulter is still figuring out what’s next for Grab Your Wallet: She hopes, at some point, not to be a one-woman band.

And perhaps the campaign might grow to include other companies that aren’t necessarily affiliated with the Trumps, but those that in some other way are perceived to be standing in the way of inclusivity.

Retreating is not on the list of possibilities.

“I feel a seriousness of purpose that I’ve never felt before in my life,” Coulter said.