The era of e-commerce disruption is giving way to a more balanced retail reality where brick-and-mortar stores remain dominant, accounting for over 76% of core retail sales. As shoppers increasingly research online but prefer to buy nearby, platforms like Locally are helping brands bridge this gap by showing local in-stock inventory, enabling services like in-store pickup, and driving foot traffic through targeted digital marketing. Brands like YETI, Scott Sports, and Petmate use Locally to connect digital shoppers with local retail partners—proving that when shoppers can find and buy nearby, everyone wins.

To succeed across all sales channels, brands must start by growing support in local specialty stores, where expert staff, trusted product advice, and in-person experiences drive deep consumer loyalty and early adoption. As shown in recent Shop-Eat-Surf reporting, top brands like Altra, Black Diamond, Mountain Hardwear, The North Face, and even Nike are leaning into specialty retail to build stronger relationships and long-term growth. Tools like Locally’s Store Locator and Product Locator help brands amplify this strategy by connecting online shoppers to nearby in-stock inventory and knowledgeable retail partners, creating a seamless path from discovery to purchase—and fueling success across the entire retail ecosystem.

In April 2025, Locally rolled out updates to enhance user experience and efficiency. Highlights include improved ShopSense Campaign Performance dashboards with new filters and visuals, faster sales rep tagging, and expanded “Kits” support for Ship to Store. API and CSV updates improve data workflows, while Store Locator maps now better maintain store priority. Dealer file matching was also improved to reduce syncing issues. For access, contact your Client Success Manager.

I’m excited to share this month’s product updates with you— it’s packed with new tools and insights to help you drive more sales, track performance, and expand your reach.

Why are brands that are doubling down on direct sales losing across all channels to brands that are doubling down on wholesale and local retail? The answer has to do with how shoppers become familiar with and gain affinity toward brands. In this post we explore the multi-channel funnels of online-to-offline and offline-to-online.

YETI, renowned for premium outdoor products, has forged a decade-long partnership with Locally to enhance its local shopping experience and support its dealer network. Initially focused on wholesale expansion, YETI adopted Locally’s tools, including Store and Product Locators, to bridge the gap between online and offline retail, ensuring customers can easily find their products nearby.

We’re excited to re-introduce the updated version of Locally SwitchLive, a powerful tool designed to help brands gain real-time insights into how shoppers interact with Locally’s Store Locator, Product Locator, and landing pages. SwitchLive bridges the gap between online engagement and offline purchases by capturing valuable user interaction data, allowing brands to refine their strategies and connect with customers more effectively than ever.

We started Locally 10+ years ago to give local stores presence in a world of increasingly-connected shoppers who do most of their product research online.

The goal was never to disrupt DTC efforts that brands had just started to undertake. We had always seen brand-direct and local wholesale as complimentary; understanding that optimizing one was the best opportunity to optimize the other.

We did the math. Stores sharing inventory are getting 77% more referrals from Locally than those that don’t. It turns out that in 2024, shoppers really don’t want referrals to addresses, they want to know a nearby place that has the products they are looking to buy.

Having a strong online presence is essential for retail success. With consumers increasingly turning to the internet to research and purchase products, retailers must ensure that their websites are engaging, informative, and easy to navigate. However, creating and maintaining compelling website content can be a daunting task, especially for retailers with limited resources or technical expertise.

Utilizing Stock Sharing reports alongside other Locally tools can be invaluable for your brand’s success and the success of the dealers in your wholesale network.

Track how shoppers engage with your Locally tools to build a more effective omnichannel strategy.

Many of our brands are optimizing their on-site and advertising tactics to focus on new product launches. Here are some ideas for driving foot traffic to new products that are in stock nearby.

Hundreds of brands use Locally’s Product Locator on their websites to drive more sales and connect shoppers to products immediately available nearby. We’ve analyzed different implementations of the tool to find out how to optimize its use.