A customer typically starts with a keyword search, such as “Phone repair near me” or “iPhone 13 used price.” If your repair store’s Google listing doesn’t appear in their search results, chances are you are losing potential business.
Google has recently introduced a new feature in Google Maps to help local businesses or cell phone repair shops get in front of their customers: “Products Nearby.” This feature allows customers to find and locate products at nearby stores.
This means that users can easily find your profile in search results when they are looking for specific products, which used to direct them towards online businesses, not local businesses. The products section is often overlooked and under optimized, so optimizing your products is a great way to separate yourself from the competition. Specifically, now that you can easily gain traffic from them! Let’s dive right into how you can take advantage of this today.
How can this Feature help Repair Shops?
The new “Products Nearby” feature helps repair businesses by
- Increasing Traffic: It will help bring customers to your shop and online store instead of sending them to other online retailers.
- Better Conversion Rates: When customers search for specific products, this means they are ready to buy so there is a high chance that they are more likely to convert.
- Competitive Advantage: Businesses often overlook the products section on GMB because either they don’t realize its importance or have a lack of time. However, by optimizing it, you can have an edge over other competitors in this line.
Streamlining Inventory Management with Shopify and WooCommerce Integration
For phone repair shops, managing inventory is one of the challenging tasks. However, RepairDesk offers integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce which can simplify the process for you.
- Shopify Plugin: Use the Shopify Multiple Google Shopping Feeds plugin so you can upload the products to Google Merchant Center and seamlessly update them.
- WooCommerce Plugin: The WooCommerce Google Product Feed plugin allows you to sync your shop’s inventory with Google Business Profile. This way, you can ensure real-time updates.
Once connected, the integration provides two significant benefits
- Real-Time Stock Syncing: Any changes made to your inventory (whether a product is added, sold, or updated) are automatically reflected across your RepairDesk system, Shopify or WooCommerce store, and Google Business Profile.
- Automated Invoice Creation: Every order placed through your online store is directly synced to RepairDesk, where an invoice is generated automatically. This eliminates manual data entry, saving time and reducing errors.
Boost My Repair Partnership
If your repair store does not already have an online store, don’t worry, we are here to help. RepairDesk has partnered with Boost My Repair to help repair shop owners create professional online stores.
- Avail special offers when setting up your online stores
- Get step-by-step guidance
- Attract more customers as online store complements your local SEO strategy
As a RepairDesk customer, you now get exclusive access to a 14-Day Free Trial and special discounts with Boost My Repair. Drive more customers to your store with targeted Google Ads and expert tools.
- 14-Day Free Trial
- Targeted Ads to Increase Reach & Sales
- Website Development & Repair Widgets
- Local SEO & Social Media Optimization
Some Other Steps to Optimize Your Google Business Profile
First, ensure your Google Business Profile is optimized. Then, you need to follow these mentioned steps to fully benefit from the new feature.
1. Keep Your Products and Inventory Updated
This step holds a lot of importance not only to optimize your profile, but to make customers entrust in your business. Update your product listings regularly to ensure you stay on top of your inventory all the time. Add all relevant and mostly searched items, products, and accessories including repair tools. Most importantly, you need to remove outdated and unavailable products so that you can avoid disappointing customers.
2. Include Optimized Product Descriptions
Make sure to include target keywords in the product descriptions that customers are likely to search for. Write concise and clear descriptions, highlighting the product’s benefits, and use cases. This can be a great opportunity to get more mentions of your keywords on your Google Business Profile.
3. Use AI Tools to Enhance Product Images
Google offers AI-powered tools to enhance product images by improving backgrounds and adding professional touches. You can get help from these tools to make your products look visually appealing. Also, well-designed images increase click-through rates so that you can attract customers to purchase from your store.
4. Leverage Customer Reviews
Undoubtedly, customer reviews matter a lot. These days, before visiting a clothing brand, restaurant, or a repair shop, most customers look for reviews and then decide whether to visit it or not. Therefore, you should encourage customers to leave reviews about your products and services and focus on how to get more reviews for your repair shop.
Positive reviews from your clients can help you a lot in boosting your Google Business Profile’s credibility and visibility in search engine results. In addition, respond to all reviews, whether positive or negative, as it shows that you care about your customers and are dedicated to improving your processes and quality of service.
In this regard, you must use RepairDesk Google reviews automation system. It will automate your Google review collection system to get you more 5-star reviews every month, to help you get more repair jobs.
5. Regular Content Posting
To keep your Google Business Profile active and engaging, posting regular updates is essential. Share news about new services, products, or promotions, and let your customers know what’s happening at your shop.
Final Words
The new “Products Nearby“ feature from Google is a powerful tool for repair shop owners looking to attract more customers and increase sales. By following the steps mentioned in the article, you can ensure your business stands out. Don’t forget to equip your repair lab with RepairDesk as it’s the #1 point of sale and management software for repair businesses. The features like inventory management, customer facing display, and reporting can help you a lot in streamlining ongoing operations, and reducing errors. Act today to stay ahead of the competition and bring more customers through your doors.
