As an independent retailer, you want to be found by new customers who may have no previous knowledge of you, your products or your services. Investing in new advertising channels, such as social media or smartphone technology, may help you in attaining this goal, but wouldn’t it be nice for customers to find you through an easy-to-use Internet store locator, rather than you doing all the work to entice them to your store front? Of course!
Search Results: Independent Retailers Near You
The benefits of being part of an Internet store locator directory can be illustrated by the store locator provided on Stamps Watch’s website. It is an added bonus for those independent retailers who have decided to carry the high profit fashion accessory line. The search directs customers to a participating independent retailer near them, where a Stamps Watch can be purchased along with, most likely, a few other items that happened to fall in the cart during the shopping trip.
What about those of you not benefiting from a supplier’s store locator? You are in luck! It was an executive decision last month to position eBay in the “local” space, meaning they’ll act as a store locator for you. According to Auction Bytes, an Independent Trade Publication for Online Merchants, “eBay has integrated real-time inventory data from major retailers on eBay.com so that shoppers can search for products from their local brick and mortar retailers directly on eBay.com.” Consumers are turning to the Internet to research and buy products, and you want to be the first there to greet them.
By becoming a part of an Internet store locator directory, you give your consumers no choice but to say YES to their local brick and mortar retailers. Then, you, the local brick and mortar retailer, can refocus energy once spent on expansive outside marketing plans to prep for in-store promotions. Jack Abraham, director of Local at eBay, Inc., emphasizes that retailers will recognize that local shopping features on eBay, “really help drive more people into their stores to buy products….For retailers to remain relevant, they need to be present in the online spaces where consumers are making purchasing decisions.” An Internet store locator is simply an online space that requires little marketing effort, but produces fruitful results.