In a sea of smartphones, tablets, and laptops it can be difficult for an independent retailer to lure people away from their screens and into a physical store. Many brick and mortar stores feel that they can no longer compete with online giants such as Amazon. However, a recent study by Google found that 93% of commerce is still taking place in-store. The customers are there, it’s simply a matter of finding ways to draw them into your store. Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself when trying to increase footfall to your own store:
Are You Displaying Your Products Online?
With people spending so much of their time on the web, it’s crucial for a brick & mortar store to have a robust online presence. Having a live catalog of your in-stock products online not only helps drive new customers to your store but also lets your existing customers check what you have in stock, prompting them to return to your store.
Technology company Pointy has created a device that provides a quick and completely effortless way for stores to get all of their products online in a matter of minutes. Retailers simply plug the device into their store’s POS, continue scanning their products as usual, and it automatically builds them a page with all the products online, ready to be found by customers who are doing Google searches nearby.
Are Your Products Being Found Online?
Google did some research recently and found that when people use mobile search to help make a decision they are 57% more likely to visit a store and 51% more likely to make a purchase. By having a robust online presence, brick and mortar retailers have the ability to significantly influence in-store purchases.
Currently, most independent retailers rank number one when you search for their store’s name. However, even if someone is 50 feet away from them and is searching for a product they stock, they find the large players like Amazon and eBay on page one instead. To help overcome this challenge, Pointy can build a page online with all your products on it which is optimized to do well in local searches. This means that when people nearby are searching for products that a store on Pointy has in stock, they find their store. Rudy Nehrling from Good Earth Natural Food Co in Indianapolis – one of the 1,000 stores currently using this service – says Pointy has given his store the upper hand over online giants:
“First and foremost we are a brick and mortar store. We want customers to visit Good Earth and get that unique in-store experience that simply cannot be mirrored online. Thanks to Pointy, when customers do a simple Google search for a product that we stock, we appear high up in the results and they can be directed from there to our store. They are putting independent retailers back in the driver’s seat”.
Is The Information People Find Online Driving Them To Your Store?
According to research by comScore store contact details is one of the primary pieces of information sought by consumers while searching online. Should people want to call you to inquire about a new product range they saw on your Facebook page they shouldn’t have to resort to Googling your telephone number.
With Pointy installed, all of your store details such as phone number, directions to the store and opening hours will appear online automatically, ready to be found by customers. Additionally, do not overlook the value of having a Yelp profile and your social media accounts updated with all current contact information. These are all potential places consumers may land to learn about your business.
How Can I Get My Products Found Online?
Normally, building an SEO-friendly website yourself can be an expensive and time-consuming process. There are many values to having a website, but some traditional merchants simply don’t want to sell online. Keeping this in mind, Pointy makes it really easy for these same retailers to still have an online presence. Using Pointy, you will have a live catalog of products online which is optimized to perform well in local searches. All you need to do is plug he Pointy device into your POS and continue scanning as normal. Pointy will take care of everything else.
Finally, remember that in order to get customers into your stores you need to first be where your customers are when they are searching for where to shop. In today’s modern world, that’s online. Make sure you’re a part of that.
To use Pointy all a store needs is a barcode scanner, products with standard barcodes and a store front. To get started and see if your store is eligible for Pointy, simply visit their website and complete their short survey. If your store is a good fit, they’ll ship you a device right away for a $299 one-off fee. If you’re not completely happy, they have a 90 day returns policy!
