Web-to-store: 7 levers to drive customers back in-store

In 2025, physical retail is evolving under pressure. While store footfall is declining, expectations regarding speed, pricing, and social responsibility are skyrocketing. In this context, the physical store remains central to the customer experience, brand differentiation, and margins.

To continue attracting visitors, the point of sale (POS) must be fueled by controlled digital acquisition and supported by a unified commerce strategy. Web-to-store, POS, eCommerce, OMS, and data determine retail’s ability to drive customers back in-store.

Web-to-store, drive-to-store, ROPO: What are we talking about in 2025?

Web-to-store refers to all digital actions that trigger a customer visit to the store:

• Product research online;
• Local pages, specifically Google My Business;
• Available inventory checks;
• eReservations;
• Personalized offers.

Drive-to-store, on the other hand, relies on advertising (e.g., local search, geolocated social ads, SMS, notifications) to incentivize travel to a specific point of sale. Finally, ROPO (Research Online, Purchase Offline) describes a behavior: consumers gather information online, then make their purchases on-site.

For retail leaders, “basic” omnichannel is now table stakes: Click & Collect, eReservations, store web pages, and visible stock. The differentiator now lies elsewhere:

• Traffic quality: The goal is no longer just to increase visit volume via marketing, but to attract relevant customers.
• Keeping the service promise: A poorly synchronized web-to-store journey such as inaccurate stock accuracy destroys consumer trust. Every digital interaction creates an expectation that the store must be able to honor.
• Data-driven steering: Local internet searches (especially Google), purchase intentions, omnichannel journey histories, and footfall data are web-to-store signals that must be leveraged. Coupled with AI forecasting, they allow retailers to anticipate demand and adjust stock.

Web-to-store is a high-performance approach when part of a unified strategy: a shared view of the customer, stock, and service across the web, CRM, POS, and management tools.

Phygital as a traffic engine

Corners & partnerships as traffic magnets

In 2025, the store has once again become a media channel in its own right, as illustrated by the Shein corner at BHV. In just a few days, the operation attracted nearly 50,000 visitors. Beyond the opinions and controversies, Shein’s strategy demonstrates that a targeted corner, backed by a brand with high online awareness, acts as a traffic accelerator for a department store.

• The shop becomes a temporary physical showcase for digital-native brands;
• The physical establishment serves as a hub for trying on items and providing reassurance;
• “Event-izing” the space creates an urgency to visit that is difficult to replicate online for a pure-player brand.

Corners and partnerships have become web-to-store tools capable of bringing back customers who had abandoned the physical point of sale for their purchases, while capturing new audiences via the partner’s online reputation.

Halo effect: When one universe drives another

The halo effect is based on the premise that an attractive universe can activate others. In the case of BHV and the Shein corner, 15% of visitors who came specifically for the Shein brand subsequently made purchases in other areas of the establishment.

This strategy applies to various sectors:

• Fashion & Luxury: A second-hand or premium refurbished corner attracts a younger or more socially engaged clientele, who then discover the permanent collections.
• Sport: A product testing space, an augmented fitting zone, or a customization workshop generates traffic that converts into complementary sales.
• Home & Equipment: A guest brand, a capsule collaboration, or a diagnostic service triggers a visit that extends beyond the initial offer.

The halo effect is measurable by cross-referencing information from the POS software and the CRM:

• Evolution of the average basket of visitors exposed to the corner;
• Cross-selling rates between universes;
• Time spent in-store and number of zones visited;
• Medium-term repurchase rates following a first visit triggered by the event.

Event & service effect: Giving a reason to travel

Various events can be activated in-store:

• “Same day” Click & Collect days, promising immediate in-boutique availability;
• Repair workshops, upcycling, or customization, which add value to product lifespans;
• Sports sessions, coaching, or demonstrations hosted by experts or partners.

The digital channel plays a major role upstream to create the intention to visit, but also downstream to extend the relationship.

A powerful lever is second-hand campaigns offering a voucher credited to the customer account, similar to Back Market. Depositing a product in the boutique triggers an immediate benefit, reusable on-site or online

7 priority web-to-store levers for 2025

1. Local visibility & “Near me” searches

The first gateway to the boutique is local search. Queries like “near me,” “available today,” or “immediate pickup” translate a strong consumer intention. If the information is unclear or outdated, the customer turns to another retailer.

The baseline is now non-negotiable:

• Complete and up-to-date store listings, especially Google My Business;
• Store locator with geolocation and filtering by service;
• Visible customer reviews;
• Highlighting of services available in the boutique.

A robust link between eCommerce and the core suite is indispensable for synchronized stock and information.

2. Making stock and services visible in real-time

In a web-to-store strategy, the decisive piece of information is real availability. Concretely, the retailer must display:

• In-boutique stock directly on the product catalog;
• Available inventory by point of sale;
• Locally activate services.

This promise is made possible thanks to unified stock, managed via an OMS connected to inventory management tools.

3. Streamlining the Web → Store transition: Click & Collect, eReservations, Drive…

The transition from digital channel to store must be immediate and effortless. Click & Collect, eReservations, or drive-throughs are standards expected by customers. The key role belongs to the OMS:

• It centralizes orders and stocks from all channels;
• It automatically selects the best preparation point based on rules regarding time, costs, or availability;
• It pilots web-to-store scenarios;
• It manages omnichannel returns / refunds.

In mature unified commerce strategies, hybrid journeys account for more than 50% of online orders.

4. Equipping teams: mPOS, Clienteling & Unified Data

Combining mobile POS + clienteling, connected to unified data, transforms the role of the sales associate. They become capable of:

• Identifying the customer from the start of the interaction;
• Accessing the basket or intentions derived from digital activity;
• Processing payments anywhere in the boutique;
• Managing a return as a continuation of the journey.

Retailers like Decathlon or Intersport have already implemented this strategy at scale: a fluid omnichannel journey, RFID for inventory management and assisted sale, and self-checkout to absorb traffic peaks.

5. Personalization and loyalty to drive returns

The challenge of a web-to-store strategy is to create a cycle of visits by relying on personalization and omnichannel consumer loyalty. Loyalty programs rely on a unified view of the customer, capable of rewarding purchases both online and in-store. Benefits are triggered based on the journey to optimize the customer relationship.

The power of web-to-store also lies in leveraging consumer intent signals, which trigger automated marketing campaigns:

• Repeated viewing of a product;
• Add-to-cart without conversion;
• Booking or abandoning an appointment;
• Unfinalized reservations.

6. ReCommerce, Repair, Services: The store as a circular hub

In a ReCommerce strategy, the physical establishment plays a central role:

• The POS records the repurchase or deposit of the product at the point of sale;
• The OMS orchestrates flows between stores, warehouses, and refurbishment partners;
• The CRM preserves the history of interactions and fuels loyalty mechanics.

Second-hand trade, repair, or trade-ins become reasons for recurring visits (product deposit, return, refurbishment). Each step is an opportunity for contact with the consumer and additional sales.

7. Steering web-to-store via KPIs

To steer a web-to-store strategy, retailers must cross-reference two families of performance indicators.

On the web side, to qualify intention:

• Click-through rate on store listings and product pages;
• Share of Click & Collect and eReservations;
• ROAS of drive-to-store campaigns;
• Web-to-store signals.

On the store side, to measure real impact:

• Evolution of traffic at the point of sale;
• Conversion rate optimization of consumers exposed to web-to-store;
• Average basket and additional sales;
• Halo effect between universes.

This strategy relies on unified data sources: POS and mPOS in-store, OMS for order flows, CRM for customer knowledge, and the eCommerce platform for intent signals. By cross-referencing store and web-to-store indicators, retailers guarantee the arbitration of marketing investments and the optimization of purchasing journeys.

POS + eCommerce + OMS: The technical foundation of profitable web-to-store

The POS is the new generation of POS software. Associated with mPOS, they allow retailers to:

• Capture sales, traffic, and consumer interactions at the point of sale;
• Process payments anywhere and streamline the experience;
• Transform the store into an omnichannel hub.

eCommerce and the core suite play the role of acquisition engine and digital orchestration. They centralize:

• The product catalog and services;
• Experience personalization;
• Web-to-store entry points.

The OMS and order management solutions ensure operational continuity:

• Orchestrating Click & Collect, Ship from Store, and the endless aisle;
• Selecting the best preparation point;
• Guaranteeing the customer promise regarding timeframes and availability.

To go further: Download our free guide on selecting POS software for unified commerce.

Driving customers back to the store is the result of alignment between digital acquisition, service promises, and operational execution. Web-to-store works when it attracts qualified and expected traffic to the point of sale.

Retail leaders have turned the store into an omnichannel hub, connected to a unified platform. The solution is capable of orchestrating stock, product, and customer data. The physical point of sale becomes a strategic advantage once again for generating value and loyalty