Getting people to buy from physical stores

We started NearSt with one simple mission: to get people around the world back into physical stores. In a world where 'e-commerce' often seems like the inevitable future for how we shop, we believe that physical stores have an incredible asset, hiding in plain sight: their inventory. We believe that by 'unlocking' these products, which are totally invisible to the internet today, physical retailers will play a central role in the future of commerce; both online and in-store. 

Connecting the world’s in-store inventory to the web

We set out with the ambition to connect every product in every store on every street to the web. To make this a reality, we developed our proprietary in-store inventory feed technology. It uniquely integrates into any inventory management system, extracts the inventory data, cleanses and enhances it, and distributes it anywhere on the web.

Connecting the world’s in-store inventory to the web is a momentous task. With a decade of experience on this journey, we know there aren't any shortcuts. Retail is one of the oldest and most storied industries, with generations-old relationships, thousands of foundational “legacy” systems, a complex web of suppliers, and a myriad of visible and invisible professional and family networks.

We must understand and embrace these dynamics and relationships to unite retail's physical and online worlds. That's why we've shaped our technology and organisation to build bridges and work with and for everyone in the industry.

Building the future of retail

Over the past decade we’ve seen the world move ever more online, but also the digitisation of the environments around us. Whatever app we visit on our phones, they’re inherently local, and increasingly more aware of our local contexts. At NearSt, we’re building toward a world where everything is connected to the web, including brick-and-mortar retail. The fundamental bridge towards this future for physical retail is a reliable link between in-store inventory and any place on the web.

We're building a fully connected and flourishing future of physical retail. Providing the technological infrastructure to make buying in-store the most convenient and natural way, that also embraces e-commerce as playing an important role in the overall shopper experience. 

E-Commerce has a big headstart, with a lot of ground to cover if physical retailers are to catch up. Our aim is to help retailer cover this ground faster, by providing them with the tools to stock, predict and understand their local environment in the online world. Tools that are currently only available to e-commerce players today.

Where not only retailers, but also brands, agencies, platforms, property owners, governments can collectively build on the incredible value currently hidden away in physical stores.