Online marketing is key for brick-and-mortar success
Using online services and marketing tools can be a great way to drum up business for brick-and-mortar stores. By studying online data, retailers can determine strategies for their physical locations. For instance, if a retailer notices online shoppers leaning toward a certain fashion, their brick-and-mortar locations could hold special sales for these products.
"Today, with real-time monitoring and alerts, in-store analytics can make marketing and management aware of low traffic stores immediately," Maria Fernandez Guajardo, the vice president of RetailNext, a retail analytics firm, told Mashable.
In turn, they can promote in-store events and sales via social media sites like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Social media can be an integral tool to bolster brick-and-mortar business, as it offers a new way to interact with customers. Merchants can offer discounts to customers who "check in" at the point of sale on sites like Yelp and FourSquare.
Regional businesses that cater mainly to local consumers can hold contests and promote sales on Twitter and other social media outlets. According to The Houston Chronicle, these tools can also be used to find new customers, as businesses will be able to search for users based on their location and interests, which opens the door for extremely targeted marketing strategies.
