Taking Local Inventory Online: An Interview with Pointy’s Mark Cummins – Moz

Twenty years ago, if someone asked, “How often do you look at a paper map?” most of us would’ve answered,
“Only when I’m lost… which is never… which is why I’m lost.”

Today, maps live in our pockets. We use them to find tacos, tire shops, and that one friend’s apartment that somehow
exists in a parallel dimension. But there’s still a weird blind spot in our modern, hyper-searchable lives:
local inventory.

We can find a 12-minute video explaining the proper way to slice an avocado… yet we can’t reliably answer a basic
question like: “Who around here actually has the thing I want, right now?”

The “Near Me” Problem Nobody Solved (Until Retailers Started Scanning Everything)

Local intent is highfriction is higher

People search with buying intent all day long: “running shoes near me,” “puzzle for kids,” “dog food in stock,”
“phone charger open now,” and the evergreen classic: “help.”
For service businesses, local search got its glow-up years ago. But for product-based businesses, the journey has
often ended with a shrug and three wasted trips.

A painfully relatable example

Picture this: you want a specific household itemnothing fancy, just something you’re sure exists in at least
one store within ten miles. You check a couple of websites. One says “available,” another says “limited stock,”
and the third proudly lists… last year’s holiday hours. You call the store. No one knows. You drive anyway.
The shelf is empty. You drive to the next place. Repeat until your weekend disappears into a fog of parking lots.

That “inventory uncertainty” is exactly what the Moz interview with Pointy CEO Mark Cummins put a spotlight on:
the gap between what’s on shelves and what’s searchable.

Meet Pointy: A Surprisingly Simple Answer to a Complicated Data Mess

Why the “typical POS system” is a myth

One of the sharpest insights from the interview is that retail tech is wildly fragmented. Some stores run modern,
cloud-based point-of-sale systems; others use legacy setups that are basically a calculator with ambition.
And switching POS systems isn’t like switching phone casesit’s expensive, disruptive, and can break workflows
that employees have memorized for years.

That fragmentation is the villain in the local inventory story. If every store tracked inventory the same way,
getting products online would be straightforward. But the real world is messier. Some shops track inventory
inconsistently. Others don’t track it at all. Many track it, but not in a format that’s web-ready.

Pointy’s “plug-in” strategy: don’t fight the POS, ride the barcode scanner

Pointy’s core idea is delightfully practical: instead of forcing retailers to overhaul their systems, it works with
what they already do all dayscan barcodes at checkout.

In the interview, Cummins explains the Pointy device as a small box that sits between a retailer’s barcode scanner
and their existing setup. Each time a product is scanned, Pointy recognizes the barcode and uses it to build a
live, product-rich online catalog for the store. In other words: your shelves become searchable because your
scanner becomes a data stream.

The first time a retailer sees their inventory populate online without manual data entry, it feels like magic.
(The good kind. Not the “why did my spreadsheet turn into hieroglyphics?” kind.)

Real-time updates: new items in, old items out

A big promise of “taking local inventory online” is freshness. A static product list isn’t enough.
Pointy’s approach updates as scanning behavior changes: new products can appear as they’re introduced; older items
can disappear as they stop moving through the system. Stock status can also stay more current than a once-a-month
upload, which is the difference between “helpful” and “rage-inducing.”

The Unsexy Hero: Product Catalogs (and Why Humans Still Matter)

Barcodes don’t automatically come with names, photos, and descriptions

Here’s a detail that surprises people outside retail/search: a barcode is unique, but it doesn’t automatically
resolve to a perfect, universal database entry with clean product data. There isn’t one single master catalog that
always returns the correct product name, image, brand, size, and description with zero errors.

That’s why retailers historically spent countless hours entering product data into their own systemslabor that
doesn’t directly create sales, but is required to power modern commerce.

Pointy’s data pipeline: machine learning + human review

The Moz interview highlights that Pointy built a large product catalog by combining multiple data sources,
cleaning them, and then using human reviewers to approve product accuracy.
This matters because search visibility depends on trustworthy data. A mislabeled product or incorrect image isn’t
just annoyingit can lead to returns, complaints, and loss of trust.

The takeaway for marketers: local inventory visibility isn’t just “get a feed online.” It’s
data quality, continuously maintained.

Where Local Inventory Shows Up Online (and Why Google Cares So Much)

Pointy pages: instant product landing pages with local SEO upside

One model described in the interview is using a Pointy-powered store page as either a primary website or as a
companion “inventory hub” linked from the main site, social profiles, or other digital assets.
These pages aim to rank for high-intent queries like “product name + city” or “product name near me.”

Even if you already have a polished brand website, a dedicated inventory layer can be the missing piece that turns
“local awareness” into “local purchase.”

“See What’s In Store” and Business Profiles: inventory in the places people actually look

The interview also discusses Google’s “See What’s In Store” experience (often abbreviated as SWIS):
the idea that shoppers can browse a store’s products right from the Business Profile on Google Search and Google Maps.

That’s a big deal because it collapses the funnel. Instead of:
Search → website → navigation → product page → “call to confirm” → drive,
shoppers can move closer to purchase directly from the search experience.

From Pointy to Google Local Inventory: the 2026 reality check

Since the original Moz interview era, the ecosystem has evolved. Google’s own documentation now notes that the
service formerly known as Pointy is integrated into Google as the Local Inventory experience.
For eligible merchants, syncing in-store products can be available at no charge, often via POS integrations.

The practical implication: “taking local inventory online” is no longer niche or experimental.
It’s becoming normal infrastructurelike hours, directions, and reviews.

Local Inventory Ads vs Free Local Listings: What’s Paid, What’s Free, What’s Smart

Free local listings: visibility without the ad budget

Google offers free local listings for in-store products in certain setups. This is the organic side of the equation:
your products can appear across Google surfaces without paying per click, assuming your data is eligible and accurate.

Local inventory ads: pay to amplify high-intent shoppers

Local inventory ads (LIAs) are the paid counterpart: highly visual product ads that can show price, product images,
store information, and availability to nearby shoppers when they search. If your shelves have what people want today,
LIAs can be a fast lane to foot traffic.

Many retailers start with free visibility and layer ads once they trust the feed quality and see which products
actually get searched. That’s a good strategy, because ads don’t fix broken datathey only deliver more people to it.

A Practical Playbook for Taking Local Inventory Online

Step 1: Pick your “inventory source of truth”

You have three common paths:

• POS integration (best when supported): products sync from your POS catalog with less manual work.
• Scanner-based capture (Pointy-style): inventory builds based on real scanning behavior.
• Inventory feeds / APIs (best for multi-location or enterprise): structured uploads with store-level pricing and quantity.

Step 2: Make store locations “machine-readable”

For Google surfaces, location integrity matters. A verified Business Profile is table stakes.
Then comes the detail marketers often learn the hard way: each location needs a consistent store code
so inventory can map to the correct physical store.

Step 3: Decide on the product page experience

Google’s local programs support different experiences depending on your setup:
some retailers send shoppers to store-specific product pages on their own site; others use Google-hosted pages when
their website doesn’t show store inventory. The goal is the same: show shoppers what’s available at this location,
at this moment.

Step 4: Keep inventory honest (your future self will thank you)

Accuracy is everything. Shoppers will forgive a slow website before they forgive a wasted trip.
Build simple operational habits:

• Train staff to scan consistently (including returns, exchanges, and special orders).
• Handle edge cases like bundles, multipacks, and variant SKUs (size/color).
• Decide on price visibility earlysome retailers hide prices by default, others show them to pre-qualify shoppers.
• Audit top products weekly: verify images, names, and availability for your most searched items.

Step 5: Measure what matters (not what’s loudest)

When inventory goes online, track outcomes that map to revenue:

• Direction requests and calls from Business Profiles
• Clicks into product detail views
• “In stock near me” discovery terms that weren’t bringing traffic before
• In-store lift for promoted categories (especially seasonal and high-margin items)

What Doesn’t Work (and Why That’s Okay)

Unbarcoded goods and one-of-one items

Not every retailer is a perfect fit for barcode-driven inventory. Handmade products, produce stands, boutiques with
constantly changing one-off itemsthese can be harder to represent through automated catalog matching.

If that’s you, don’t panic. You can still win local search with:
strong category pages, “new arrivals” posts, Product schema where applicable, and an updated Business Profile with
clear photos and merchandising themes. The inventory game has levels.

“We’ll set it and forget it” is a myth

The tech can be automated, but the business still needs a light operational touch. Think of it like reviews:
you don’t have to babysit them daily, but ignoring them for six months is a strategy called “hope,” and hope isn’t
a KPI.

Why This Matters: Local Retail’s Biggest Advantage Is Immediacy

Big online marketplaces win on endless aisle. Local stores win on: right now.
Same-day pickup. “Come try it.” Instant gratification without porch piracy.

Putting local inventory online doesn’t turn a neighborhood shop into a global ecommerce empire.
It turns it into something more powerful: a highly discoverable solution for nearby shoppers with urgent intent.
And the Moz interview frames an important early-adopter truth: if your competitors can’t answer product queries,
you can rank well simply by being the only one with a reliable answer.

Conclusion: Make Your Shelves Searchable

The big idea behind “taking local inventory online” is simple: shoppers want certainty. They want to know the item
exists, it’s nearby, and the store is open. When retailers connect scanning, catalog data, and local visibility,
the internet finally starts answering the question it dodged for years:
“Who around here carries X?”

Whether you approach this through POS integrations, feed-based inventory, or Pointy’s scan-to-list model, the
opportunity is the same: become the store that shows up when shoppers are ready to buytoday, not “ships in 3–5 business days.”

Experience Notes: 10 Real-World Lessons from Taking Local Inventory Online

Here are a few hard-earned, practical experiences that tend to show up once you move from “this sounds cool” to
“why is Google showing a photo of a toaster for my dog shampoo?” (Yes, that can happen. Data is a journey.)

1) Your first month is a data-quality bootcamp

The initial rollout almost always reveals messy edges: duplicate barcodes, outdated product names, missing images,
or items that were entered into the POS years ago with creative spelling (retail employees are poets under pressure).
Plan a weekly “top products audit” where you check your most viewed items and correct anything that looks off.
A small amount of cleanup creates a big jump in trust and click-through.

2) Staff training beats any clever dashboard

The system is only as real-time as the behavior that feeds it. If returns are processed without scanning, or if
special orders get rung up as generic SKUs, stock status will drift. The fix is not another marketing meeting.
It’s a two-minute register-side habit: scan consistently, and treat exceptions (returns, exchanges, damaged goods)
as part of the workflow, not “we’ll do it later.”

3) Decide what “availability” means in your store

Is one unit on the shelf “in stock”? What about one unit in the back, behind three boxes labeled “do not open”?
If you run ads on “in stock” items, define a buffer rulelike requiring at least two units for ad eligibilityso
you don’t disappoint shoppers with the last item that vanished five minutes ago.

4) Multi-location retailers win by getting store codes right

Store codes sound boring until they break everything. If the same product shows “in stock” at the wrong location,
your team will spend the day answering phone calls that start with, “Google said you had it.” Keep a simple internal
reference sheet that lists each store’s code, address, and Business Profile link. Make it easy for humans to verify
what machines are doing.

5) Hiding prices can help or hurttest it

Some retailers hide prices to avoid comparison shopping or because pricing fluctuates. Others show prices to filter
out low-intent visits and reduce awkward “how much is it?” calls. There’s no universal right answer. The experience
is this: if your category is price-sensitive (electronics accessories, commodity items), showing price often improves
conversion quality. If your category is experiential (specialty toys, boutique items), customers may come for uniqueness
and availability more than price.

6) Your best early wins come from weirdly specific searches

The magic of local inventory is long-tail intent: “left-handed can opener,” “rubber piggy bank,” “aquarium pump
replacement,” “bike tube 700×28.” These queries are often underserved because big retailers can’t localize inventory
perfectly across every store. When your store becomes the one with a reliable answer, you can show up in searches
your competitors don’t even know exist.

7) Your merchandising strategy becomes SEO strategy

Once inventory is visible, the products you emphasize in-store can become the products that drive discovery online.
Seasonal endcaps, “staff picks,” and local favorites can be reinforced with category organization, clean product titles,
and consistent scanning. The line between “store ops” and “search visibility” gets delightfully blurry.

8) Ads work best after you identify your “hero categories”

If you turn on local inventory ads immediately for everything, you may spend money promoting low-margin items or
products that are difficult to keep accurately stocked. A smarter experience pattern:
start with free visibility, watch which products get viewed, then run ads for categories with (a) stable stock,
(b) solid margin, and (c) high urgency (replacement parts, pet supplies, health items, popular gifts).

9) Landing pages mattereven when Google hosts part of the experience

When shoppers click through, they still want reassurance: store hours, directions, pickup options, and what to do next.
If your own site is involved, make sure product pages clearly show store availability and location context.
If Google is hosting the storefront experience, keep your Business Profile immaculatephotos, categories, services,
and messaging options can be the difference between a click and a store visit.

10) The long-term payoff is trust

The biggest win isn’t just more traffic. It’s fewer wasted trips, fewer annoyed phone calls, and more customers who
learn: “When I search locally, this store actually tells the truth.”
In a world where shoppers are tired of vague “limited stock” promises, accuracy becomes a competitive advantage.