NearSt

20/05/2026

AI assistants like Claude are starting to answer "near me" questions using Google's local business data, and ranking results by the same signals Google does: rating, reviews, and relevance.

What this tells us is that the work you put into being discoverable on Google isn't just for Google any more. It's becoming the foundation AI is building on too. And on Google today, having your live in-store inventory online is one of the strongest things you can do for local visibility, which makes it a reasonable bet that the same will become true on AI surfaces.

If you'd like help understanding how your business is showing up today, and where to focus first, we'd be glad to take a look with you.

05/06/2025

Most builders’ merchants’ sales still happen in-store. But nearly every journey starts online 🛠️📲

Today’s shoppers, whether a tradesperson or weekend DIYer, don’t head straight to the counter. They Google what they need, check what’s in stock nearby, and then decide where to buy.

…and 54% of these shoppers say store location drives in-person visits 📍 so if your branch is nearby, it’s critical they know you exist. Yet many builders’ merchants are invisible in those crucial first moments 🔎🥇

This isn’t about reinventing an e-commerce offering. It’s about connecting what you already have, your in-store stock, to the place these searches begin, like Google.

When done well, you don’t just drive clicks, you drive footfall, loyalty, and measurable ROI 📈

📖 Read the full breakdown of what’s changing, how merchants are adapting and the impact it’s having in-branch:

Learn why the modern trade counter starts online, and how builders’ merchants can increase sales by using Google search to drive footfall in-branch.

04/06/2025

“Technology in a great connected store is invisible to the customer but invaluable to the business.” 🏪📲

Retail Week’s deep dive into today’s connected stores makes one thing clear: it’s not about flashy tech - it’s about smart, seamless experiences.

According to the piece, today’s most valuable connected store experiences deliver:

🙋 For customers: real-time stock information, smooth checkout, personalised offers
👩‍💻 For staff: live dashboards, simpler processes, clearer insights
📈 For businesses: new footfall, less waste, smarter operations

The piece also includes insight from our own Nick Brackenbury, who highlights real-time inventory as one of the smartest entry points for retailers - no radical changes, easy to trial and proven to drive footfall 🎯

Kavanagh Group’s Belsize Park store is another standout example. With demand forecasting and dynamic shelf pricing, they halved waste and boosted profits. A meaningful transformation, no huge budget needed.

The most connected stores feel effortless, not just for customers but for the teams running them too.

👉 Read the full article here:

Most online shopping experiences aim to be seamless and convenient with as little faff as possible, so it makes sense that the same would be asked of brick-and-mortar stores

22/05/2025

What happened when Beesley & Fildes connected their in-store inventory to NearSt? 🤳

📈 Found 16× more often on Google by nearby shoppers
📍 Appearing in Google’s Top 3 local results 31% of the time - up from 0%
💷 Achieving a 23:1 return on ad spend - £23 back for every £1 spent (!)

Why did James and his team turn to NearSt in the first place...

With branches across the North West of England, & Fildes Ltd serves everyone from tradespeople on tight schedules to homeowners planning weekend jobs. And all of them want quick answers:

🧱 What’s in stock?📍 Where’s it available? 🚚 Can I pick it up today?

Despite having the right products on shelves, that information wasn’t showing up where it mattered most: Google. That meant phone calls, guesswork, and ultimately, lost sales.

By making their in-store products visible online, that changed 📈

For James and his team, it’s not just about convenience. It’s about building trust and delivering the kind of experience customers expect - fast, accurate, and dependable 💪

📖 Read the full story: https://hubs.la/Q03nKpkd0

20/05/2025

From a blown lightbulb at a dinner party to powering in-store inventory feeds for retailers worldwide💡🌍

Our CEO Nick Brackenbury is named Founder of the Week by . If you don’t know how NearSt came to be, the story is well worth a read.

It’s a reminder of why we started NearSt in the first place:

🔍 Shoppers overwhelmingly begin their journey online (74%!)
😶‍🌫️ Yet, well over 90% of in-store products remain invisible to those searching online

That disconnect drives us daily, helping retailers make what’s on their shelves visible in all the places where it matters online.

We’re proud to see Nick, and NearSt, recognised by one of the UK’s leading startup publications 🙌

📖 Read the full story here:

Co-founder and CEO of NearSt, alongside co-founder, Max Kreijn The aim behind NearSt is to connect every shop (and every...

23/04/2025

One of the most powerful marketing channels for physical retail today? 🤳

It’s not socials. Not email. Not even your website.

It’s local search, and most physical retailers are invisible in it 😶‍🌫️

📍 76% of people who search for a product nearby visit a store within 24 hours, but many retailers aren’t showing up…because Google can’t see what they stock in-store.

We just published a new piece diving into how Google is reshaping footfall and why appearing in local search now hinges on structured, live data.

We explore…
✅ What Google really looks at when deciding who appears in local search
✅ Why features like “See What’s In Store” matter more than ever
✅ How The Entertainer used local search to leapfrog Argos in local rankings

Are you neglecting local search for your stores? 📲🏬

Full blog here 👉 https://hubs.la/Q03hQh1_0

16/04/2025

With over 1000 locations, being known isn't a problem; it’s being found 🔎📲

Despite a nationwide footprint, The Entertainer’s stores and products weren’t showing up when local shoppers searched online. Instead, Argos and Amazon were capturing these local shoppers.

Together in just a few weeks, we changed that.

📈 163% boost in top 3 local search ranking
🧑‍💻 18x increase in store visibility online
💨 86% faster online-to-offline customer journey

By connecting real-time in-store inventory to Google, they leapfrogged Argos and became the #1 choice for nearby shoppers.

Full story here 👉

See how The Entertainer used NearSt to outrank Argos in Google search, boost store visibility by 18x, and cut the online-to-offline journey by 86%.

10/04/2025

From invisible to unmissable 🔎📈

What happens when one of the UK’s biggest retailers starts showing their in-store inventory across Google?

“Local customers are finding our stores more often in search, and we’ve leapfrogged our competition in local results for dozens of customer missions.” - Malcolm Carter, Digital Director at The Entertainer🙌

Their 160+ stores became easier to find online, and 1,000s of their products are quicker to buy.

Keep an eye out for the full case study we’ll be sharing next week 👀

05/03/2025

We’re thrilled to announce NearSt as DAC Group’s official in-store inventory feeds partner 🎉

This partnership brings together DAC Group’s award-winning digital performance expertise with NearSt’s leading in-store inventory feed technology. Retailers working with DAC Group can now show their in-store inventory online, in the places their customers are shopping for it.

Leading retailers worldwide already use in-store inventory feeds to attract today's multi-channel shoppers. Now, retailers working with DAC Group can do the same with access to a powerful suite of in-store inventory feed tools 🙌

DAC Group partners with NearSt to unlock in-store inventory feeds, helping their retailers attract local shoppers, boost footfall, and drive sales.

08/01/2025

Happy New Year from all of us at NearSt 🎉

As we kick off 2025, we’re more excited than ever to work with retailers worldwide to help shape the future of retail!

For a decade, we've been on a mission to unlock the incredible value physical stores have to offer. This year, that vision feels more tangible than ever as in-store inventory feed technology continues to transform the retail landscape 🛍️🌍

A great way to start the year is seeing this vision shared in Forbes' 2025 retail trends, where Catherine Erdly highlights how our technology is helping retailers adapt as online and offline shopping continues to merge.

“In 2024 Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat all started offering local shopping experiences…In 2025 we’re going to see more of the big social networks and discovery platforms start offering local shopping journeys.”📍🛒

We can’t wait to help more retailers thrive in 2025 — here’s to an exciting year ahead! 🚀

What will be the key retail trends that reshape the industry? As we move into 2025, business owners and leaders need to be prepared to adapt.