Brick-and-mortar retailers are facing increasing pressure to adapt to the digitization of stores. One of the biggest challenges for small and independent retailers has been getting their real-world inventory online in an efficient and cost-effective way. A product listing includes all relevant features, specifications, and pricing details. Retailers can put their product inventory on Google My Business for free, and potential buyers searching for a specific product can easily find them. Implementing your product inventory to Google My Business can be extremely tedious and time-consuming, as the retailer must regularly update and verify its online inventory. This puts smaller retailers at a clear disadvantage against big-name brands, who have enough resources to create those listings. Luckily, the transition for smaller brick-and-mortar retailers is made easier through Pointy.
Pointy is a compact device that connects to a retailer’s point of sale system (barcode scanner) and links to a custom website created for that particular retailer. By streamlining processes, Pointy eliminates the need to manually input product information into inventory systems, whilst allowing small retailers to get their inventory online in a seamless way. New products automatically get added to the store page, and the old products get removed when you no longer sell them. The item stock status syncs automatically as items are sold or discontinued. In addition to this, the product listing device is the launch partner for Google’s “See What’s In Store” feature, which lets retailers display their entire product catalogue and live inventory information in the Business Profile on the Google search page.
In an interview with Pointy’s founder and CEO, Mark Cummins, he explained that 90% of purchases still occur in physical stores. Pointy has seen a gap in available online knowledge about offline inventory and has set out to bridge it by making product listing much more accessible. This device also enables the retailer to utilize SEO and SEM services to help acquire more interested customers through search traffic.
As consumers increasingly rely on the Internet to make decisions on what to purchase, it is pivotal for retailers to put their product inventory on Google My Business and adapt their digital marketing strategies in hopes of staying competitive and meeting customer needs. Listing your product inventory on Google My Business has many benefits:
At Index, we help businesses navigate the ever-changing world of digital marketing with new tools and technology. Our digital marketing strategies have greatly benefited many of our brick-and-mortar and e-commerce clients. Contact our experts to stay ahead of the competition.