Store Locator: Simple solution for complex problems in online store

Although the existence of Google Maps & business and directory apps, more and more businesses are now implementing store locators to the online store as part of their marketing mix. This post will help you understand the symbiotic relationship between your online presence and offline stores and how you can optimize the store locator for your online store.

What is Store Locator?

The store locator is a function you can add to your business’s website that helps your customers to find your nearest store and the shortest way to get there —  If you sell your products not only online, but also offline, store location functionality is not an option, but a necessity! It is a chance to increase sales to locals and create long-lasting relationships with them, while your buyer can enjoy purchaser delivery of ordered products for free.

store locator

How can the Store Locator help your online store?

1. Grow sites’ traffic

Adding a store finder to your website means that your buyers have to visit your site before finding out the related stores. As a result, It would help the number of traffics to your main website increase considerably

2. It saves time and money for both owner store and customer

A strong store locator will provide your customer with the full information about your store. Consequently, it also speeds up the customer’s research process and removes potential frustrations. In other words, the owner store also fewer calls from customers looking for specific information about your products and more time for important matters

3. Increases trust and overall branding

If you prove to your clients that you have a bunch of offline stores, they will certainly know that you are the real deal, a real business, with real people

4. Gather valuable data for marketing purposes

When customers use your dealer locator, the system can log user activity which you can consider to figure out store locator trends. You can collect information they used if applicable like promo codes and zip codes, and track where exactly people are searching from, their demographics, how often they search, and a lot more. These data can be used to optimize the best time and place to launch your campaigns, and overall improve your customer service.

5. Protect valuable distribution network

The distribution network is the most crucial in any eCommerce website. Many shoppers anxious about their valuable lists will be revealed. The dealer locator helps to hide the bulk of the lists away on a secure server and it only outputs tiny fragments at a time
6. Work  for SEO
The local search rankings of your store would be improved appreciably thanks to the local content, which is included inside the store’s local platform.

Tips to optimize your store locator

1. Use automated location detection services

Geolocation helps users search faster to find the nearest location. Most shoppers today search on their mobile, and it can be discouraging for customers to have to manually type in your store’s postcode

store locator

2. Showcase promotions to drive footfall

Another way to drive people into your store is to showcase offers and add calls-to-action (CTAs). You can also combine your store locator with dedicated local pages to encourage more clients to make the online to offline switch, or even hold social media contests for your customers that involve entering a store.

store locator

3. Provide filters if your stores’ offerings vary

Filter features can provide your customer with store-specific information so they’re less likely to be disappointed

store locator

4. Make it responsive

Once your store locator is installed, ensure that it adjusts to the size of a variety of different devices.

5. Add keywords for SEO

Keywords specific to the location (city, region, etc.) and the products and services offered there will help to ensure higher rankings in online search engines

6. Have local content

Adding local content specific to each store will help to improve that SEO and ranking.

How to add a store locator to Magento Website?

In the default CMS functionality offered by Magento, you can use simply location listing implementation. However, if you want to add a full dealer locator functionality, you will need to install an extension of your choosing and customize it if necessary.

Store Locator 1

If you want to build an online store with this strong feature, all thing you need to do is a ready design theme including the Store locator feature. We have prepared for you a selection of Magento 2 themes that may be of help to you:  Magento themes collection

The bottom line

Store locator applications is a cheap and become a passive marketing tool that enhances your overall omnichannel.  Most famous eCommerce websites have it. There’s no reason why you not. Besides, if you need help to build robust eCommerce websites, redesign existing websites, or seek a professional maintenance & Support service, our Magento Website Development service provides you with Magento-certified developers who are ready to help you achieve your business goals. Contact us for a free consultation.