Hey there!
Please tell me, what are the main reasons why would a local, offline store(say, 10 branch stores across one big city) will be interested in building online website(without possibility to sell online)?
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Hello @bravekitty welcome to the forums. You clearly have a particular store in mind. Whilst we could give you some ideas as to why the store ought to have an online presence, only they can tell you why they might want to.
@Gandalf, You’re so sure, it’s amazing! 
“…only they can tell you why they might want to.”
And what if they don’t know why would they want it?
So what you are looking for is a sales pitch, to convince them they really should have a website? I guess that depends on the kind of shop?
Ok, so say it’s a grocery shops.
The only reason I can think of, is the ability to find the closest shop address, and maybe… maybe some advertising, but I think offline advertising is much more efficient.
Opening hours?
Exactly. I don’t think the website is something so worth it, you know… only to check the closest shop and hours. You can simply do it via social media as Facebook.
If an offline shops maintain a website then it will be easy to reach the target customer. It can display all of it’s product images. Buyer can make the decision and fix budget before going offline shops outlet.
Edited by SamA74 to remove fake signature.
Offline shops need website because we are living in the digital world where everything have attached with internet and mobile. Most of young and working people use mobile compare than other electric gadgets. Today, we are performing all kind of life’s activity through online app or internet. Offline shops consume time and do not give comfortable shopping experience.
Use website and invite regular customer through website invitation. Now, regular customer can easily book any goods online and you will become different from another traditional shops.
@semidot, Facebook and other social media is doing just fine with this. Also, if the shop-owner doesn’t like the idea of going to sell-online, what else website can be useful?
Also(and this is an answer to @amin007 as well), if all the data will be presented online, this may prevent of checking in to he shop it self. And that’s a no-no for sure!
I do not use facebook - how easy is it to find a company there?
I would use it to check opening times, address, and if I need to contact them they would have a “proper” email address.
I do not really trust a business without a non gmail/yahoo type email.
So if I understand this thread you want to sell a local business a website but they do not want one?
My understanding of the thread was that the store wants a website but OP doesn’t want them to have one! 
It’s very easy. Even if you google for it, you can see one of the firsts(if not the first) results for facebook page of the business. And yes, all of this things can be set very nice at Facebook: opening times, addresses etc.
I want you to assume both scenarios, where I’m the owner of the shop and if I’m the one who’s selling this “idea”. Because I want to have as wide-scale point of view as possible.
@Gandalf, I want you to assume both scenarios, where I’m the owner of the shop and if I’m the one who’s selling this “idea”. Because I want to have as wide-scale point of view as possible.
Well, I see a website and social media as doing different things. Social media is there for interaction with customers and potential customers. A website if it’s not selling (and I can’t see any sense in selling groceries online other than the big supermarkets) is just a store front.
Even if it’s a 1-page website giving the addresses and opening hours of each store plus a link to Facebook I think it is well worth having a website.
Yes, gandalf458. That was the whole point… I probably skipped this, but having a website for such a business is only make sense if it’s about to use it as a store-front. Not above that for sure. And also, if to use it as advertise platform, this won’t be any sense to do so, because people just prefer to enter a social media, i think. But perhaps I’m wrong, I don’t have any statistics in this field
Because online shops do. This is my pretty nonsense answer.
I will explain, and my answer meet the one of @semidot on some points.
Today, I want to buy a new bag, something not really particular, but I keep in mind specifics traits.
So, I will type on search engine “bag with features and traits”, and I will fly over some online shops.
In this new kind of world, I can do shopping into many shops at the same time, confront, and chose easily.
Now, It is time to buy, and I see something anoying : there are on all online shop 2 weeks of delay to receive my precious.
If I am truly an impatient person, I will type again on search engine “bag with features and traits near my location”.
Wonderful ! Your shop have a website with a catalog as well detailed as Amazon ! And I can found on it all the stuff I was looking for.
I can go to your retail, and buy my bag today.
As said by @semidot, I am 22, I grow up with search engines at my fingertips. Buying somethings on Amazon is for me more easy as buying something in the store on the next street.
However, that is only my personal vision ; and it depend of your product. But I told everyone who will listen to me “If you are not really present online, for youngs : you do not exist yet”
Sorry for broken English, I am French
I also often use a store’s website to determine if they carry the product that I am looking for. It would also be useful if there was some indication if it was currently in stock. But I don’t then want to buy the product online - I would go to the store to look at it and buy it. This would save me a trip if they don’t carry the product.
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I’ve seen more than one store website that has a “specials of the week” page and a printable “coupons of the week” feature.
True, maybe “canned peas 50% off, chocolate ice cream BYGO” isn’t enough to draw in a customer, but then again it just might be.
Hi there! One of the obvious reasons as to why local stores still need a website despite having numerous branches is they want to reach out more customers who are not near the vicinity of their physical shops. We live in a technological age so business must adhere to these changes to succeed. Since most people are accessing the internet nowadays, they also find it convenient to shop from there. That’s why local stores need websites so their business can grow and compete well with other businesses…