An online locator service is also known as a store locator or a store finder. It is a technological feature that is found on businesses’ websites. An online stores locator has several locations and it allows visitors to find specific locations of a particular business within a selected area. There are many businesses that utilise this feature ranging from chain store retailers, restaurants, boutiques and other types of businesses.
In this guide you will find information about stores locator, the key features and their advantages.
How Store Locators Work
Store finders are meant to make finding a certain location much easier and they have a unique way of doing this. The locator works by providing users with very important information regarding a certain store. The details provided by the locator include the business’ address, the services provided, contacts, hours of operation, and directions to the store.
These store finders usually work hand in hand with other online store map apps or features such as Google Maps, Bing Maps, and MapQuest. This helps the user to find where particular location is found and the best part is that they can direct a person to the store.
The Software Behind Store Locators
To allow users to find nearby stores and businesses, locators utilise locator software. All a user has to do in order to find a store is input a ZIP code and the locator will show all locations available in a database. Other Locators simply determine the user's location via their IP address instead of them having to input all this information manually. After reading the user's IP address the business uses an IP geolocation software found on the Digital Element. The website then shows the user the locations of the shops in that area and a map which can help them navigate to the store.
Businesses that Use Store Locators
Store Locators make finding a store easier. Many businesses in the United States utilise this feature. Businesses owners who use the store locator include:
• Manufacturers
• Product merchants
• Retail shops
• Boutiques
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Malls
• Franchises
• And any other business owners that own a physical store
You will find that in cases where a certain business has many branches they will only have the feature added on the flagship store.
Details about the Locator and the Main Features
A good store locator is quick and simple to configure, add more locations and to use. It should also support major social media apps such as Facebook, Wordpress, Shopify, Squarespace and Joomla. A store locator should also be easily customisable to custom Google Maps. A store locator works perfectly with small and large businesses. The main features include:
• Management of various businesses
• Provide details for businesses such as phone number, email address, opening hours and a description
• Support maps
• Give directions to a store
• Show Google Maps search results in multiple languages
• Possible to filter results
• Uses geolocation API to find the user’s current-location
• Apart from the flagship store it also shows all the nearby stores
Finding a store is so simple when a user does use a store locator. Those are the beneficial aspects of the store finder. Customers can rest assured that finding a store in the US even in the most crowded areas can be done within minutes and using less effort.