Independent retailers have a new weapon in their arsenal when taking the fight to the online giants. A partnership between Vend, the preferred retail point-of-sale software of Bira, and NearSt, the British start-up with a track-record for boosting footfall, will make it easier to get online shoppers in-store.
Vend has integrated NearSt’s system on its point-of-sale platform. This allows business owners to attract hundreds of nearby shoppers searching online for the products they have in store. The integration of the two smart technology solutions also shows shopkeepers how nearby customers are behaving. Plus, how every product is performing.
NearSt enables high street retailers to market their in-store products on Google, making location and availability conveniently accessible to shoppers.
Commenting is David Heriot, director of Edinburgh-based gift and homeware store, Daisy Cheynes. “NearSt allows us to link our stock database to Google search results so our customers have instant information on what we sell. They can see if the product they want is in stock and its selling point; enabling them to pop in and pick it up. It’s a service that provides instant gratification that even Amazon can’t deliver.
“We’ve integrated NearSt with Vend. This allows us to ensure we are consistently stocking the products local residents want to buy while building a more intelligent loyalty programme that ensures they come back again for more.”
NearSt found 83% of shoppers would prefer to shop in-store instead of online if they knew an item was available in a local shop.
Also commenting is Higor Torchia, managing director, EMEA at Vend. “Consumers love to buy local; and in today’s world, many of us feel more compelled to visit high street shops to reduce our carbon footprints. This is done when delivery trucks don’t travel miles from door-to-door and when less plastic and packaging is used.
“Vend’s cloud-based software allows independent retailers to manage their inventory so that they can see what’s selling well. It also tracks the number of customers coming in-store. Our clients should see a real impact when integrating NearSt on their platform; expanding their customer base and putting more loved products in the hands of shoppers.”
Nick Brackenbury, co-founder and CEO at NearSt, adds: “NearSt’s mission is to get people back into high street shops. With this new partnership, we’re thrilled to help more local shops do just that. We’re really excited Vend shops now have the opportunity to attract a brand-new audience by effortlessly making their products visible to shoppers searching nearby in Google.
“The partnership will give retailers time to focus on more in-store customers thanks to the completely automatic integration between Vend and NearSt. It’s an amazingly simple way for shops to show the incredible value they have over their online-only counterparts to customers nearby.”
