Does a brick-and-mortar store need a website? The short answer is yes. People often begin their search for local businesses online, read reviews, see store hours and collect other data before frequenting a physical establishment.
Design a website to showcase the unique features of a physical store by considering these topics.
1. Focus on User Experiences
The goal of a website for a physical retail store is to drive foot traffic to a real-life location. If users have a poor experience on your site, they’re unlikely to visit your storefront.
Your first concern should be creating a website that provides an excellent user experience (UX). However, you must also share what kind of UX the customer might have inside your store. Add an events page so potential shoppers can see upcoming happenings they might want to attend. Showcase photos of your store’s features that no others in your industry offer.
A Statista report found that 32% of U.S. adults rely on reviews from other customers to gather data on a product. Allow shoppers to post reviews and testimonials singing your praises. Adding transparency through feedback allows visitors to trust your brand and shows people what their peers think.
2. List Location and Hours
Unless you plan to set up an e-commerce store, the goal of your website should be to drive foot traffic to your brick-and-mortar shop. Some ways you can engage site visitors and encourage them to visit include:
- Set up an interactive map showing your locations.
- Keep mobile convenience in mind, such as a single click of a phone icon to call the store.
- List what days and times your store is open. Be sure to update the page for special events, holidays and other changes.
Update your Google Business and Facebook page to match your website so everything is consistent.
3. Offer a Virtual Tour
Put yourself in the shoes of an average shopper. Let’s say her name is Lauren, and she is a working mother of twins and a 10-month-old baby. She has exactly 15 minutes after work to pop in and buy the item she saw on your website before picking the baby up from day care, getting the twins off the school bus and starting dinner for the family.
She wants to know the layout of your store so she can walk in, grab her item, check out and be on her way in under a quarter of an hour. Offering a virtual tour on your site lets her browse for the item she wants. It’s a good idea to provide an inventory-checking tool so she can ensure it is currently available. Lauren can see the store’s layout in advance, saving her minutes when she arrives.
4. Focus on Omnichannel Experiences
Consumers still make around 79% of purchases in physical stores. While some people shop for more items online than in the past, they want to see and touch before they buy. They also like the convenience of instantly purchasing something at a local retailer rather than waiting for it to arrive via a delivery service.
Think through how you can create an omnichannel experience for users. For example, John Doe enters your clothing store and buys a shirt for an upcoming event. When he gets home, he realizes two buttons are missing near the bottom. He should be able to call your store, contact you through your website or chat on social media to find a solution.
No matter how he contacts the business, the response and policies should be the same. He should only have to state his concern once rather than repeating it at each touchpoint. You may need to install customer relationship management software to ensure he has the best experience possible.
5. Create Offline Only Offers
Use your website to drive traffic to your store by creating offline-only specials. Perhaps you sell some items via your site’s digital storefront. Reserve some of the most popular ones for in-store purchases. New arrivals and seasonal deals make natural choices for offline specials.
If you plan to run an e-commerce store, offer a few online-only offers. Allow customers to pick up the item in the physical location to avoid shipping costs. You can also expand your sales by letting brick-and-mortar customers order an out-of-stock item while in the store and shipping it to them.
Measuring a successful conversion is challenging when people conduct research online for local businesses. Offer codes they can grab on the website to see how many of your first-time buyers start online.
6. Optimize Local SEO
Think With Google’s 2024 Retail Guide indicates that the buyer journey is becoming more complex. Around 60% of consumers now perform six or more actions before reaching the decision stage. Many of their searches start on websites and by reading reviews.
It’s wise to optimize your website for local SEO by using phrases such as “near city, state.” You’ll need to dig into some keyword research to determine what keywords people use and how best to meet their intent through your content.
Return on Investment (ROI) Matters
It can be complex to determine how beneficial an online presence is for brick-and-mortar stores. Since every dollar counts, ROI is crucial to ongoing success. Measuring results requires forward thinking. You must consider brand image and awareness as part of ongoing business costs.
Your website should bring in new people and attract reviews and repeat visits from current customers. How well you promote the site depends on your marketing efforts and consistently improving consumer engagement.
