Retail Digital Marketing : How to coordinate National and Local strategies to Drive In-Store Traffic?

Frédéric Jacquemyns
08/05/2025

Reading time : 2 minute

Between brand communication and community engagement, retail digital marketing can no longer choose sides. It must play both fields simultaneously. Here’s how.

Why this topic is critical in 2025

With the multiplication of channels, the end of third-party cookies, soaring advertising costs, and the rise of generative AI, retail brands face a dual challenge:

Building brand awareness at the national level
Driving local engagement to attract customers to physical stores

This was the core topic discussed by Nathalie Terwingen (blue2purple) and Jean-Philippe Blerot (Carrefour) during a live session hosted by Frédéric from Mobilosoft. Here are the six key points to remember.

National vs. local : a successful digital marketing strategy in retail

1. Assign the Right Roles : National ≠ Local

“We need clarity: who does what, when, and for what objective.”
Nathalie Terwingen

National campaigns build the brand image. They define the narrative framework, brand territory, and key messages.

Local campaigns bring that narrative to life on the ground. They adapt the messaging, highlight promotions, codes of social networks.

The pitfall to avoid

Doing copy-paste between both levels. Or worse : completely disconnecting the messages.

2. Prepare and Coordinate Activations

For a multi-store network, coordination is key:

Weekly themes sent to stores
Templates and visuals provided by HQ
Local flexibility to adapt content

“Store managers know their customers. They know how to speak to them.”
Jean-Philippe Blerot Head of Digital and eCommerce Carrefour Belgium.

Result : More authentic, human posts, often more engaging than those from the national level.

3. Use the Right Digital Levers

To perform locally, and guarantee good online visibility for local outlets, favour a hybrid, multi-level strategy :

Always-on SEA for consistent visibility
Local social ads for community targeting
Organic content on Google Business Profile and TikTok or Instagram and Facebook
Short videos to spark engagement

“Customers want human, authentic, and video content.”
Jean-Philippe Blerot

4. Treat Local SEO as a Strategic Asset

Often neglected, local SEO becomes central in the age of AI-powered conversational search, as demonstrated by the arrival of AI overview on Chrome.

Best practices :

Regular posts on Google Business Profile
Use of geo-targeted keywords
Integration of links to individual store pages
Respond regularly to customer reviews

“AI notices when you respond to customer reviews. It understands you’re a good brand.
It’s a super-powerful lever.”
Jean-Philippe Blerot

5. Define the Right KPIs

It’s not just about likes. The key indicators to track :

Local engagement rate (5% is a solid benchmark)
Traffic to business profiles
In-store visits triggered by campaigns
Revenue generated from digital activations

“We measure wins and flops weekly. Stores monitor who did what.”
Jean-Philippe Blerot

6. Anticipate the Impact of AI

Nathalie Terwingen emphasizes : AI tools like ChatGPT will transform how we search, consume, and compare. This gives renewed strategic importance to well-optimized content.