Give your shoppers essential information at essential times

You phone both stores, and even though the staff is busy, they take the time to check if what you are looking for is in stock. Thankfully, it is! You race down to your local hardware store and make it home just in time for your (now well-lit) presentation.

Stores have been met with an influx of just such phone calls as shoppers seek stock information before leaving the house. The phone call about the light bulb was made out of necessity, and in this case local convenience was key. Usually, however, shoppers are planning ahead and consolidating their visits to stores as a safety measure during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Below are 3 easy steps to help ensure shoppers can access all the information they need about your store. 

1. Claim your Business Profile

First things first, claim your free Business Profile on Google and make sure it is updated with helpful information about your store—contact information, updated hours, a description and photos, and the safety measures you’re taking during the pandemic. With searches for “curbside pickup” growing more than 3,000 percent globally since last year, it’s never been more important to let customers know how they can shop with you—whether you’re offering curbside pickup, in-store shopping, or delivery options.

2. Connect with customers

Give shoppers more reasons to choose your store by interacting with them online. You can reply to reviews, post about what’s new, and feature special offers. You can also include answers to frequently asked questions and turn on messaging to stay in touch with customers in real time.

3. Show what’s in store on your Business Profile

67% of shoppers say they plan to confirm online that an item is in stock before going to buy it, underscoring the importance of real-time and accurate inventory information. Thanks to Pointy from Google, you can easily show your in-store products on Google so shoppers can see what you carry before they go to the store to make a purchase. Pointy connects directly to your Clover system and automatically adds your in-store products to your Business Profile on Google. This helps you to appear in search results when shoppers are looking for items you carry.

Pointy from Google automatically adds your inventory to your Business Profile and can help shoppers find you when they search for items you carry. As we’ve integrated with Pointy, the app is completely free and available to download for Clover users.

Check out what Clover user Harley McIntire has to say about Pointy:

“Because we use Clover, there was literally no set up on our end. Literally every week I see new customers that found us on Google through the ‘See what’s in store’ link. This integration, including the way the search results are presented, makes it look like I have an IT staff when it’s automatic. We now have regular customers that travel more than an hour each way to get specific products that they know we carry. I estimate our pet food sales, particularly the high-end product lines, have increased 30% since the implementation of Pointy.” —Harley McIntire, Family Feed.

There are many ways to increase your online presence without the infrastructure of e-commerce. Increasing your online visibility using the 3 steps above can help you reach those shoppers who are doing their research at home before coming to the store to complete the purchase. 

Editorial Team

Clover app partners, Clover partner solutions

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