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Where-to-Buy Integration

Channel managementIntermediate Level

A where to buy integration is a widget or page on a brand's website that shows which retailers sell a product and links shoppers through to buy it.

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What is Where-to-Buy Integration?

A where to buy integration is a widget or page on a brand's website that shows shoppers which online and physical retailers sell a product, often with stock and price, and links them through to buy. It is also called a where-to-buy button or buy now widget. The integration pulls retailer data from feeds or a specialist provider and matches it to your products by GTIN or retailer SKU. That matching only works when your identifiers and product names are consistent, so the quality of your product data decides how many products show a working retailer link. It differs from a store locator, which only lists physical stores, and from a marketplace listing, where you sell the product yourself. Our digital shelf guide covers how brands keep retailer pages accurate.

Why Where-to-Buy Integration matters for e-commerce

Many brands do not sell directly, or sell only part of their range online. Shoppers who land on the brand site still want to buy, and a where to buy integration sends them to a retailer instead of back to a search engine. It also gives the brand data on which retailers get the clicks. The weak point is product data: if GTINs are missing or wrong, the widget shows no retailers and the visit is lost.

Examples of Where-to-Buy Integration

  • 1Placement: Product page, Shows: Three online retailers with price and stock, Match key: GTIN.
  • 2Placement: Recipe or how-to page, Shows: A buy button that adds all used products to a retailer basket, Match key: Retailer SKU.
  • 3Placement: Social or video ad, Shows: A shoppable link to retailers near the viewer, Match key: GTIN.
  • 4Placement: Brand homepage, Shows: A store map for physical shops plus online retailers, Match key: Product family.
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How WISEPIM Helps

  • Clean identifiers: keep GTINs and SKUs in one place and check them with the free EAN/GTIN validator.
  • Brand Portals: share up-to-date product data and images with retailers, so their pages match your own.
  • Export: send product data in the format a where-to-buy provider or retailer feed needs.
  • Quality Guard rules: flag products without a GTIN before they go into a feed.

Common mistakes with Where-to-Buy Integration

  • Launching the widget before checking that every product has a correct GTIN.
  • Linking to retailer pages that are out of stock or no longer exist.
  • Showing only one or two retailers, which looks like a paid placement to shoppers.
  • Not tracking clicks per retailer, so the integration's value stays unknown.

Tips for Where-to-Buy Integration

  • Validate all GTINs before you send product data to a where-to-buy provider.
  • Show retailers in a neutral order, such as by price or stock, and say so.
  • Hide the button for products no retailer stocks instead of showing an empty list.
  • Use the click data to discuss assortment and content with your retail partners.

Trends around Where-to-Buy Integration

  • Shoppable content in social media and video that uses the same where-to-buy data.
  • Local stock shown next to online retailers for click and collect.
  • Retail media networks linking brand content to retailer ads.
  • Brands sharing richer product data with retailers to keep both pages consistent.

Tools for Where-to-Buy Integration

  • Where-to-buy providers such as PriceSpider, ChannelSight and Commerce Connector.
  • Store locator tools for brands with mainly physical retail.
  • A PIM system to manage GTINs, product names and images for the feed.
  • Web analytics to track clicks per retailer.

Related Terms

Digital Shelf IntelligenceDirect-to-Consumer (DTC) SyndicationProduct Feed Optimization (PFO)Punchout CatalogRetail Media Network (RMN) IntegrationRetail Media Optimization

Also Known As

Where-to-buy buttonBuy now widgetWhere to buy widgetRetailer locator

Frequently Asked Questions

It shows shoppers on a brand site which retailers sell the product they are looking at, often with price and stock, and sends them to that retailer's product page or basket. The brand does not handle the sale itself.

Not quite. A store locator shows physical shops on a map. A where to buy integration usually focuses on online retailers and links to a specific product page, though many tools combine both.

At minimum a correct GTIN or retailer SKU per product, a clear product name and an image. The provider uses the identifier to find the product at each retailer, so wrong codes mean missing links.

No, it is an option for brands that sell through retailers. Some brands use both: a direct webshop for part of the range and a where to buy button for products that only retailers carry.

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