I was talking with a local camera retailer about a new lens. He asked what I do and then we (actually he) transitioned to talking about marketing and advertising. I really wanted to buy, but he insisted on telling me his strong opinions about marketing. 
After I listened enough, I told him I thought websites (on a computer, tablet or phone) were the new front door for all retailers and that on-page and off-page search engine optimization was critical to success. He said he didn’t need to worry about websites or SEO because he sells locally.
He said, “I don’t sell nationally.” The problem is the majority of “local” people are searching the world-wide Web, using smartphones to read reviews and checking prices from stores all over the world. Customers may shop locally, but they search globally. No matter where you sell, you are now competing with people from all over the country and the world.
Did I buy the lens at the store.? No. Not for the reason you might think. I did find the lens online for about $75 less. However, the real reason I didn’t buy the lens there was the bad service. I like to shop local, but I don’t support bad service anywhere in the world. That’s bad marketing in any language.
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