Someone is searching for your brand right now, followed by "where to buy." If they land on your Shopify store and can't find the answer, they'll find a competitor who makes it easier.
A where-to-buy page solves this. It tells customers exactly where your products are available, whether that's retail partners, authorized dealers, pop-up shops, or seasonal markets. And on Shopify, building one is more straightforward than most brands expect.
Key Takeaways
- A where-to-buy page, dealer locator, and stockist page are the same thing: a tool that shows customers where to find your products in physical locations.
- You don't need custom development. Shopify apps like Mapular let you build and embed a where-to-buy page in minutes.
- The best where-to-buy pages include geolocation search, product filtering, and mobile-first design.
- Where-to-buy pages generate SEO value by capturing high-intent local search queries like "where to buy [brand] near me."
- Keeping your page updated is just as important as building it. Choose a tool that makes adding and removing locations easy.
What Is a "Where to Buy" Page?
A where-to-buy page is a page on your website that helps customers find physical locations where your products are sold. That's it.
The concept goes by many names depending on the industry:
- Store locator: the most common term, used by brands with their own retail locations or a mix of owned and partner stores.
- Dealer locator: popular with hardware, electronics, automotive, and industrial brands that sell through authorized dealer networks.
- Stockist page: common in fashion, beauty, and food and beverage, referring to retailers that "stock" a brand's products.
- Retail partner finder: used by D2C brands that sell primarily online but also distribute through select brick-and-mortar partners.
Different names, same function. A customer types in their location, and the page shows them the nearest places to buy your product.
Why Your Shopify Store Needs One
If you sell through any channel beyond your own website, customers will look for your products offline. When they do, they'll search for terms like "where to buy [your brand]" or "[your brand] near me." A where-to-buy page captures that intent and directs it to your retail partners, instead of letting Google answer the question for you (or worse, not answer it at all).
Without this page, you're relying on individual retailers to surface your brand in their own marketing. That's a bet most brands can't afford to make.
Three Use Cases for a Where-to-Buy Page
D2C Brands with Retail Partners
You sell on Shopify, but your products are also available at select retailers. Maybe you started online and expanded into physical retail. Your customers know your brand from Instagram or your website, but they want to see, touch, or try the product before buying.
A where-to-buy page bridges that gap. It lists every retail partner that carries your products, organized by location, so customers can find the nearest option without guessing.
Wholesale Brands with Dealer Networks
You manufacture products and sell through an authorized dealer network. Your dealers handle the customer relationship, but customers discover your brand through your marketing and website.
A dealer locator on Shopify gives these customers a clear path from your website to a local dealer. It also signals to potential dealers that you support their sales efforts, which matters when you're recruiting new partners.
Brands with Pop-Up Locations or Seasonal Markets
You sell at farmers markets, holiday pop-ups, trade shows, or rotating retail locations. Your physical presence changes week to week or season to season.
A where-to-buy page that's easy to update lets you keep customers informed about where to find you next. No static list that goes stale. No social media posts that get buried in the feed. A single, always-current page that customers can bookmark and check.
How to Build Your Where-to-Buy Page on Shopify
Building a where-to-buy page on Shopify doesn't require a developer. Here's the process, step by step.
Step 1: Choose Your Tool
You have two options:
Manual page (free, limited). Create a Shopify page with a static list of locations. This works if you have fewer than ten locations and they rarely change. But there's no map, no search, no filtering, and no analytics. It's a starting point, not a long-term solution.
Store locator app (recommended). Install an app like Mapular Store Locator from the Shopify App Store. Apps give you an interactive map, search functionality, filtering, analytics, and the ability to manage hundreds or thousands of locations from a single dashboard. Most offer free plans or free trials to get started.
For a detailed comparison of Shopify store locator apps, see our complete guide to the best store locator apps for Shopify.
Step 2: Add Your Locations
This is where you enter your retail partners, dealers, stockists, or any physical location that carries your products. For each location, you'll typically include:
- Store name
- Address (for geocoding and map placement)
- Phone number
- Website or directions link
- Hours of operation
- A short description or note (e.g., "Carries full product line" or "Seasonal hours apply")
Most apps support bulk import via CSV, so if you have an existing spreadsheet of partners, you can upload everything at once rather than entering locations one by one.
Step 3: Add Filters
Filters turn a basic location list into a useful tool. Consider adding:
- Product availability: Let customers filter by which products or product lines a location carries. This is critical if not every retailer stocks your full range. For more on why this matters, read our guide on product filtering in store locators.
- Store type: Distinguish between flagship stores, authorized dealers, pop-up locations, and online retailers.
- Hours or availability: Help customers find locations that are open now or open on weekends.
Filters reduce friction. A customer who can confirm a store carries what they want is far more likely to visit.
Step 4: Brand It
Your where-to-buy page should look like it belongs on your site. That means matching your brand colors, fonts, and overall design language. Most Shopify store locator apps offer customization options:
- Map pin colors and styles
- Custom color schemes to match your theme
- Logo placement
- Layout options (map + list, list only, map only)
Avoid the default look. A generic-looking locator undermines trust. Customers should feel like they're still on your site, not redirected to a third-party tool.
Step 5: Embed and Publish
Once your locations are added and your design is set, embed the locator on a Shopify page. Most apps generate an embed code or integrate directly with your Shopify theme, so you can place it on any page, typically /pages/where-to-buy, /pages/find-a-store, or /pages/stockists.
Add the page to your main navigation or footer so customers can find it. A where-to-buy page that's buried three clicks deep isn't doing its job.
What Makes a Great Where-to-Buy Page
Not all where-to-buy pages are created equal. Here's what separates a page that drives store visits from one that gets ignored.
Search by Location
The core function. Customers should be able to search by city, zip code, or address. Even better: support browser geolocation so the page automatically shows nearby locations when a customer lands on it. This eliminates the first step and gets to results faster.
Filter by Product or Category
We covered this above, but it's worth repeating. If your retail partners carry different subsets of your product line, product filtering isn't optional. It's essential. Customers who can't confirm product availability will either call the store or skip the trip entirely.
Mobile-First Design
More than half of store locator searches happen on mobile devices. Customers are often on the go, looking for a store to visit right now. Your where-to-buy page needs to work flawlessly on small screens: tap-to-call phone numbers, tap-to-navigate directions, and a layout that doesn't require pinching and zooming.
Analytics
A where-to-buy page isn't just a customer-facing tool. It's a data source. The best implementations track:
- Where customers are searching from (geographic demand signals)
- Which locations get the most views and clicks
- Which filters are used most often
- Search queries that return no results (gaps in your retail coverage)
This data informs retail expansion, wholesale strategy, and marketing spend. If you're seeing high search volume in a region with no retail partners, that's a signal to expand.
Easy to Update
Retail partnerships change. Stores open and close. Seasonal locations come and go. Your where-to-buy page needs to reflect reality at all times. Choose a tool that lets you add, edit, and remove locations without touching code, ideally from a dashboard you can hand off to your operations or sales team.
Where-to-Buy Page SEO Benefits
A well-built where-to-buy page captures search traffic that most Shopify stores miss entirely. When someone searches for "where to buy [your brand] in [city]" or "[your brand] dealer near me," a where-to-buy page with location-specific content gives Google something to index and rank.
The SEO value compounds over time. Each location on your page is a potential answer to a local search query. Brands with hundreds of retail partners can capture hundreds of long-tail keywords, all from a single, well-structured page.
If your store locator app supports individual location pages (like Mapular does), the SEO benefit multiplies. Each location gets its own indexable URL, structured data, and local keyword targeting. That's a significant advantage over apps that render everything inside a single JavaScript widget.
Common Questions
Do I need a where-to-buy page if I only sell online?
If you sell exclusively through your own Shopify store with no retail partners, no. But if you sell through any third-party retailers, marketplaces with physical presence, or your own pop-up locations, yes. Even a handful of locations justifies the page, especially if customers are already searching for where to buy your products.
What's the difference between a store locator and a where-to-buy page?
Functionally, nothing. A store locator typically refers to a brand's own retail locations, while a where-to-buy page often lists third-party retailers and partners. But the underlying tool is the same: a searchable, map-based directory of physical locations. Most apps, including Mapular, work for both scenarios.
How many locations do I need before it's worth building?
There's no minimum. Even five retail partners justify a where-to-buy page if customers are searching for where to find your products. The page serves a real customer need regardless of scale, and it's quick to set up with the right tool.
Can I use a where-to-buy page for international locations?
Yes. Most store locator apps support international addresses and multi-language setups. If you distribute globally, you can list locations across countries and let customers search by region. Just make sure the app you choose supports the geocoding and map coverage you need outside of North America.
Next Steps
If customers are searching for where to buy your products (and they are), give them an answer. A where-to-buy page on Shopify takes minutes to set up and immediately improves the experience for customers trying to find you in the real world.
Mapular works as a store locator, dealer locator, or where-to-buy page. Try it free on Shopify.
