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How to Increase In-store Sales With Online Marketing
Learn some must-have digital marketing strategies to drive offline sales.
Table of Contents
In today’s digitally connected and increasingly hybrid world, the line between online and in-store shopping is almost gone. BrightLocal’s 2025 Local Consumer Review Survey found that 83 percent of consumers use Google to research local businesses, underscoring how often people start their shopping journey online. And in often-cited Google research, 76 percent of smartphone users who search for something nearby visit a related business within a day — a clear reminder that online visibility directly drives foot traffic.
For small businesses with brick-and-mortar locations, that crossover is a major opportunity. Here’s how you can use online marketing to bring more customers through your doors.
Online marketing strategies to drive in-store sales
There’s no doubt that online activity influences offline sales, and a comprehensive digital marketing plan can help translate some of your online traffic into in-store purchases. Here are some digital marketing strategies to implement for your brick-and-mortar store:
1. Use your website for digital marketing.
Your company’s website is one of the most effective ways to attract new customers and build credibility. Publishing informative, engaging blog content helps establish your brand’s expertise and gives shoppers a reason to choose you over competitors.
To drive traffic to your physical store, post about in-store exclusives, upcoming events or limited-time sales that encourage visitors to stop by.
This is important because, according to Mintel’s 2024 Path to Online Purchase Report, 96 percent of consumers do some form of online research before buying. That means your website isn’t just a brochure; it’s part of their decision-making process. Make sure it’s easy to find and full of value. Use SEO best practices, like writing using the same type of language your customers search for and making sure your pages load quickly and look good on mobile.
2. Use email marketing to boost engagement.
Email marketing remains one of the most reliable ways for brick-and-mortar stores to build relationships and stay top of mind with customers, and it delivers serious results. According to the State of Email 2025 report by Litmus and Validity, 35 percent of marketing leaders see returns between $10 and $36 for every dollar spent, 30 percent earn between $36 and $50, and 5 percent exceed $50.
Beyond the numbers, email is a simple, direct way to keep shoppers in the loop about new products, promotions and in-store events. It also reinforces brand awareness, reminding customers why they like your business and encouraging repeat visits.
Keep your audience engaged throughout their buying journey with a mix of email marketing campaigns, such as:
- Welcome emails: These introduce your brand and set the tone for your relationship. They’re also incredibly effective. According to GetResponse data, welcome messages average an email open rate of 83.6 percent.
- Promotional emails: Promotional emails announce sales, share limited-time discounts or invite subscribers to in-store events to create urgency and drive foot traffic.
- Product emails: Product emails highlight new offerings and associated promotions, generating interest from past customers and new leads. They’re an excellent way to encourage repeat business.
3. Use text message marketing to bring in more customers.
Business texting is one of the fastest, most direct ways to reach your customers. Text message marketing, also called short message service (SMS) marketing, helps your store stay top of mind in a world full of notifications and competing priorities.
It’s effective, too. EZ Texting’s 2025 Consumer Texting Report noted that marketing texts boast an average open rate of 98 percent, which is far higher than most other channels. Twilio data shows that 90 percent of SMS messages are opened within three minutes of delivery, making it ideal for time-sensitive promotions or flash sales. And according to ProTexting, single SMS and auto-replies typically reach customers in about five seconds, while larger campaigns or MMS messages take only slightly longer to process.
For best results, use short, engaging messages to promote in-store events, limited-time offers, and new product launches that drive foot traffic. You can also text loyal customers on birthdays or anniversaries to celebrate their milestones or follow up with mobile-friendly surveys to collect quick feedback.
4. Use social media marketing to enhance customer relationships.
Social media is one of the best ways to connect with your customers and showcase what makes your business special. It helps you build your brand’s voice, highlight your products and events, and stay part of your audience’s daily scroll. The opportunity is massive: Statista reports there are 5.4 billion active social media users worldwide in 2025, a number expected to surpass 6 billion by 2028.
For brick-and-mortar businesses, your social pages are an extension of your storefront. In your social media marketing, share photos and videos from in-store events, behind-the-scenes moments and exclusive promotions to remind followers there’s more to discover in person.
You can also use social media to grow your local footprint. For example, join community groups, participate in neighborhood pages and engage with other small businesses to stay visible in your area. Social selling plays a growing role, too; HubSpot’s 2025 State of Sales Report found that 45 percent of sellers rate social media as very effective at driving sales.
Online marketing platforms to use
There’s no shortage of online tools to help small businesses boost their marketing efforts to drive in-store sales. Here are just some of the most popular categories and options.
Email marketing services
The best email marketing services help you create automated email campaigns to guide your audience through the sales funnel and test custom templates for higher engagement. Some of our favorite platforms include the following:
- Benchmark: Benchmark combines easy-to-use templates with powerful automation tools and integrations with Google and Salesforce. Its free plan for up to 500 contacts is generous, and paid plans scale based on your contact list. Learn more in our full review of Benchmark.
- Campaigner: Known for flexibility and deep customization, Campaigner lets you personalize messages, run A/B tests and analyze performance with detailed reporting. Plans start at $14 per month. See more in our complete review of Campaigner.
- Constant Contact: This user-friendly platform helps small businesses scale email outreach with drag-and-drop design tools, A/B testing and real-time analytics. Plans start at $12 per month. Read our in-depth Constant Contact review to learn more.
- monday.com: More than a project management tool, monday.com includes robust email marketing features like centralized forms, campaign boards and workflow automation. Its intuitive dashboard helps teams collaborate on campaigns efficiently. Read our monday.com email marketing review for a closer look.
Text message marketing software
Text message marketing supports consumers’ mobile-first browsing behavior, ensuring messages stay top-of-mind instead of sitting in a full email inbox. Here are some of the best text message marketing software solutions for businesses that want to increase in-store sales:
- EZ Texting: EZ Texting includes features like advanced segmentation, automated workflows, drip campaigns, performance analytics and lead generation, with pricing starting at $20 per month for 200 messages. Our in-depth EZ Texting review explains the platform’s pricing structure and additional features.
- Textedly: With one of the least expensive per-message rates among the top solutions — and dozens of Zapier integrations — Textedly offers an easy-to-use and straightforward platform for text message marketing campaigns. Read our Textedly review for details on its user interface and features.
- Textline: Textline helps you engage with customers via text and includes robust internal communication features to improve customer support. As our Textline review explains, this service is the only HIPAA-compliant and accredited text messaging platform.
- SimpleTexting: SimpleTexting includes essential and valuable features like cross-program integrations, multiple-user controls and custom fields, with plans starting at $39 per month for 500 credits. Read our SimpleTexting review to learn more.
Customer relationship management (CRM) software
The best CRM software can help companies manage customer relationships and control sales and marketing communications with current and potential customers. Some top options include the following:
- HubSpot: HubSpot’s comprehensive, no-code CRM platform includes artificial intelligence-powered reporting and analytics tools to drive informed decision-making, with a robust free tier and paid plans starting at $9 per month per user. Our comprehensive review of HubSpot CRM details this platform’s shared dashboards, which facilitate collaboration between sales and marketing teams.
- Oracle NetSuite: A component of Oracle’s complete business software suite, Oracle NetSuite CRM handles key tasks like marketing campaign support, forecasting and partner management. Read our full Oracle NetSuite CRM review for more information.
- Pipedrive: Pipedrive’s CRM supports sales and marketing tasks, with plenty of customization options and integrations to help teams connect with prospective and existing customers, starting at $14 per user per month. Our Pipedrive review highlights this platform’s intuitive user interface and automation functions.
Best practices for online marketing
Make the most of your online marketing efforts with these proven techniques.
1. Analyze data to know your audience.
Reaching your target audience and understanding its needs are the first steps toward creating an effective digital marketing plan that can increase in-store sales. Analyzing data trends helps you uncover audience behaviors, interests and demographics.
According to Statista, 63 percent of marketing professionals rated their data-driven strategies as successful, and nearly one-third said they were very successful. The same study found that marketers consider data-driven tactics most useful for email marketing, customer experience and paid advertising, which are all key to attracting and retaining loyal shoppers.
Collecting data from sources such as search activity, social media, CRM systems and third-party platforms will help you understand how users find and engage with your brand.
2. Build content around audience segments.
Developing personalized content is critical for increasing user engagement and improving visibility in organic search results. According to Wunderkind’s 2025 U.S. Consumer Insights report, timely and tailored messaging is closely correlated with purchase behavior. In fact, 83 percent of respondents indicated they were significantly influenced by communication related to their browsing or past interests.
When you publish content consistently, search engines crawl your site more regularly, and users stay connected with your brand.
To keep customers on your website and boost sales online and offline, create content that speaks directly to the needs of your segments, and include clear calls to action. In addition to blog posts or articles, offer different formats (downloads, image galleries, short videos, etc.) to give users multiple ways to engage. Encourage interaction and sharing to amplify the reach of your content organically, and build momentum that carries offline.
3. Target customers and amplify content through advertising.
Once you understand what your audience is looking for online, use paid advertising to increase your visibility and offline sales. Because digital ads are so customizable, you have significant control over your advertising results. With targeting, you can show various user segments specialized content at specific times, locations and online platforms.
For example, showcase unique product coupons to different segments, or leverage geotargeting to have ads appear within a certain distance from your stores. A 2023 study published in the journal Production and Operations Management found that mobile ad campaigns built around store-proximate targeting and behavioral attributes produced measurable increases in in-store visits. Related research published in 2025 showed that click-through rates were more than 26 percent higher when mobile ads appeared in familiar locations versus new ones, reinforcing how proximity and context boost engagement.
The expansive ad placement options available (search, social, mobile, retargeting, banner and more) allow you to distribute your ads exactly where your users are searching.
4. Use authentic and consistent branding.
You’ve likely spent a lot of time creating your brand image and perfecting the in-store experience, but does your online presence tell the same story? If your branding and online content don’t align with what customers see in person, they may feel disconnected or underwhelmed when they visit your store.
Maintaining a unified brand identity across every touchpoint can have a measurable impact on your bottom line. Marq’s State of Brand Consistency Report found that nearly seven in 10 organizations credit consistent branding with driving between 10 and 20 percent of their overall revenue growth.
Stay true to your brand’s tone, visuals and values, and create content that feels genuine and engaging. The more cohesive your messaging is — online and offline — the more likely customers are to recognize, trust and return to your business.
5. Create and nurture brand advocacy.
Get your fans involved to create brand advocacy that expands beyond your digital presence. Integrate influencer outreach into your communications and feature loyal customers in your marketing to keep them engaged. According to Edelman’s 2025 Brand Trust report, 84 percent of people trust friends and family to give accurate information about a brand, and 80 percent trust “customers like me” — far more than they trust company leaders or ads.
Encourage satisfied customers to share positive customer reviews, testimonials, social posts and other forms of user-generated content about your business. Real-world experiences build credibility and inspire others to visit, making advocacy one of the most powerful growth drivers for your brand.
6. Expand customer relations to drive online support.
Customer support doesn’t stop at the register or call center anymore. People talk about your brand online every day, influencing others’ buying decisions whether you’re part of the conversation or not. According to Mintel’s Path to Online Purchase 2024 report, 96 percent of consumers research online before making a purchase.
That means your digital presence is part of your customer service. Jump into the discussion by keeping a close eye on your social channels and responding quickly when people tag or message your business. Review sites are another great place to thank your biggest fans and turn unhappy experiences around. Every online comment comes from a real customer, so it’s important to respond to online reviews — and how you engage can directly shape how many of them walk through your doors.
7. Track results and optimize for ongoing success.
Analyzing data helps you measure and improve your marketing ROI. By reviewing performance across search, social media and website campaigns, you can identify which content and channels bring the best results.
Try using unique coupon codes for specific products and locations to measure offline sales. These distinct codes help you connect online campaigns to in-store outcomes and reveal your true return on investment. According to Ascend2’s 2024 Marketing Attribution Report, 46 percent of marketers say attribution tracking delivers higher ROI and more precise targeting.
Consistently tracking results and refining your strategy will help you focus your budget where it has the biggest impact and keep your marketing efforts working smarter over time.
Sara Flick contributed to this article.
Social media marketing tools
The right social media management tools can help you improve your social presence across multiple platforms, schedule content efficiently and measure engagement in real time. Here are a few standout options: