A rainy day at Pépita
Rain over the neighborhood: come warm up at Pépita. A free hot chocolate with any lunch deal, from noon to 3 p.m.
Guide
Drive-to-store: 7 campaign ideas with your Wallet loyalty card
For a neighborhood business, counting social media followers doesn’t get you very far. What counts is turning that audience, your past customers and everyone who holds your loyalty card into real visits at the register.
That is what drive-to-store is about: starting from a digital channel to give people a concrete reason to walk through your door. A campaign that works comes down to three things: a precise audience, an offer or a piece of news worth the trip, and a deadline.
A digital loyalty card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet adds a direct channel to that toolkit. You update the card, and depending on the platform and the phone’s settings, a notification appears on the lock screen. Wallet doesn’t replace Google Maps, social media or the poster in your window. It works alongside them.
Here are seven simple campaigns, each with the message to send and the number to watch. Adapt them to a shop, a café, a salon, a beauty studio or a food business.
What is drive-to-store marketing?
Drive-to-store covers every digital action meant to bring someone into a physical location: a post on your Google Business Profile, a local update, an email, a text message, a geotargeted ad, or a notification tied to a Wallet card. You will also hear “web-to-store,” which describes the customer who researches online before visiting. In practice, both terms serve the same goal.
For an independent business, a useful campaign answers four questions before it goes out.
- Who do you want to bring in?
- Everyone on your list, your regulars, people who haven’t been back in a while, or customers close to a reward? A message for everyone speaks to no one.
- Why now?
- Something new, a perk, an event, a product in limited supply. If there is no reason to come this week rather than any other, there is no campaign.
- Until when?
- Today, during a slow stretch, through the end of the week. A clear deadline is the difference between “I’ll go sometime” and “I’m going.”
- How will you measure it?
- A visit logged at the counter, a reward redeemed, a code given at the register. Without a marker, you will never know whether the campaign brought anyone in.
Win back regulars after a quiet spell
Back-to-school season, the end of vacations, a reopening after renovations: all good moments to get back in touch with regular customers. Not your whole list. Just the people who haven’t been back for a stretch that means something for your type of business.
For a café, 30 days without a visit already signals a drop in frequency. For a hair salon or a beauty studio, the right window is longer: five to eight weeks. Set the threshold to the real rhythm of your customers, not to a universal number.
Why it works: the message lands just as the customer is picking their habits back up, with a clear deadline. It doesn’t sell anything new. It simply reminds them that you are there.
- AudienceCustomers with no visit in 30 to 60 days, depending on the business
- Duration7 to 14 days
- MetricShare of targeted customers who came back within 14 days
Use the weather to fill a quiet time slot
Weather changes where people go and what they want: a hot drink on a rainy day, something cold when it’s hot out, a seasonal service. It makes a good angle for a short campaign, as long as the offer fits your business and your stock.
A hot day at L’Adresse
It’s hot out: the L’Adresse terrace is open and the house lemonade is free with any main dish, from 2 to 5 p.m., while supplies last.
- AudienceCustomers who can come by today
- DurationA few hours to a day
- MetricVisits during the time slot, compared with a similar day without a campaign
Host a private preview for your customers
A new collection, a delivery, a seasonal menu, a new service: any of these can become an appointment reserved for cardholders. Exclusivity gives people a reason to come before everyone else, without a big discount.
The message goes out on the Wallet card, but don’t let it travel alone. Google lets you publish updates, offers and events on your Business Profile, visible in Search and on Maps. For an event, you fill in a title, dates, times, a description and a button. Google Business Profile Help
- An event on your Google Business Profile
Title, dates, times, description and action button: it shows up in Search and on Maps.
- A same-day reminder in your story
Not three weeks ahead: that morning, when people decide whether to stop by.
- The invitation in your window
With the sign-up QR code, for people who don’t have the card yet.
- Something to experience on the spot
A demo, a tasting, some advice: a reason to stay, not just to show up.
- AudienceLoyal customers, or those who have reached a tier
- DurationAn evening or a weekend
- MetricAttendees, purchases made, average basket for the evening
Spotlight a product of the day
Bakeries, cafés, restaurants, florists, food shops: every one of you has something available in limited quantity at a specific time. A short campaign brings people in during that window and cuts down on end-of-day leftovers.
Stay honest: no fake scarcity. Give the time, the product, the conditions, and “while supplies last” when it applies. And a discount isn’t required: a brioche coming out of the oven at 4 p.m. is a reason to come in all by itself.
With a discount
Morning offer at Pépita: buy two pastries and the third is free until 11 a.m., today only and while supplies last.
Without a discount
Our praline brioche comes out of the oven at 4 p.m. Limited quantities: stop by Pépita this afternoon and try it.
- AudienceActive customers, the ones who can drop by quickly
- DurationA few hours
- MetricUnits sold, unsold items at closing, visits during the promotion
Ask for a review, and make a separate offer
Reviews reassure people who discover you on Google. But Google prohibits offering a payment, discount, product or service in exchange for posting, changing or removing a review, and it also prohibits asking only your happy customers. Google review policies
Good practice comes down to two separate messages. First, a sincere review request to everyone who visited recently, promising nothing. Then, separately, a loyalty offer open to all cardholders, whether or not they left a review.
The review request, with nothing in return
Your feedback helps us improve. If you’d like, tell us about your visit to Torréka on Google: the link is on the back of your card.
The offer, separate and open to all
This week at Torréka, the pastry of the day is free with any coffee, through Saturday. Open to all cardholders.
With Cartia, the link to your Google Business Profile sits on the back of the card, so customers can find it without searching. Google itself recommends sharing a direct link or a QR code when you ask for a review. Google Business Profile Help
- Pitfall 1
“Leave five stars and get a gift”
A reward in exchange for a review, in any form, is prohibited by Google.
- Pitfall 2
Points reserved for people who post
That is a disguised incentive. The offer must apply to everyone, review or not.
- Pitfall 3
Asking only satisfied customers
Selectively soliciting positive reviews is explicitly banned.
- Pitfall 4
Rewarding the edit of a negative review
Same rule: nothing in exchange for posting, revising or removing a review.
- AudienceRecent customers, all of them, not just the happy ones
- DurationReview request 1 or 2 days after the visit
- MetricNew honest reviews on one side, visits for the offer on the other
Turn a neighborhood event into a reason to visit
A makers’ market, a block party, a sidewalk sale, a late-night shopping evening, a community group’s activity: these moments bring a flow of people that already exists. You don’t have to create it, only to give it a reason to stop at your place.
The Wallet card then serves as proof of membership for a reserved perk. It only becomes a real “ticket” if you have planned how to check it on site and stated the conditions clearly.
- An “Event” post on your Google Business Profile
People searching Maps for the neighborhood festival find you too.
- A joint post with your neighbors
Shops on the same street share the same audience: share the message too.
- The poster in your window with the QR code
Visitors passing by sign up on the spot and leave with the card.
- The reminder the day before, not three weeks ahead
A notification is read in the moment. Too early, and it’s forgotten.
- AudienceAll customers of the location involved
- DurationOne day
- MetricCards shown, new sign-ups, the day’s revenue
Re-engage customers who are close to a reward
A customer two visits away from their reward already has a reason to come back. A well-worded reminder makes that progress visible and brings the next visit forward. This campaign promises nothing new: it reminds the customer of a perk they are already earning.
It is only worth sending if the data is right. With points, purchases must have been logged; with visits, the customer should see at a glance how many are left. A wrong reminder does more harm than silence.
Torrékanow
Just two more visits until your free coffee at Torréka. Show your card on your next visit to keep going.
In Cartia, the “Close to a reward” segment groups customers who are at 70% of the threshold or more. On the Pro and Business plans, an automatic message can go out as soon as the balance reaches the value you set.
- AudienceCustomers at 70% of the threshold or more
- Duration7 to 30 days
- MetricShare of targeted customers who reach the tier within the month
The seven campaigns at a glance
| Campaign | Audience | Trigger | Suggested duration | Metric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win-back after a quiet spell | Inactive customers | 30 to 60 days without a visit | 7 to 14 days | Return rate |
| Weather | Customers available today | Observed weather | A few hours to 1 day | Visits in the time slot |
| Private preview | Loyal customers, tiers reached | New collection or service | 1 evening or 1 weekend | Attendees and purchases |
| Product of the day | Active customers | Fresh stock or something new | A few hours | Sales and leftovers |
| Reviews and a separate offer | Recent customers | Visit just ended | Request 1 or 2 days later | Honest reviews |
| Neighborhood event | The whole local customer base | Date of the local event | 1 day | Cards shown |
| Close to a reward | Customers at 70% or more | Balance near the threshold | 7 to 30 days | Tiers reached |
Write a notification that gets people to come in
A notification doesn’t need to be long. It needs to be specific. Four beats are enough for most campaigns.
- The context
- “The fall collection has arrived”
- The perk
- “as a preview for cardholders”
- The deadline
- “Thursday, 6 to 8 p.m.”
- The action
- “show your card at the door”
Avoid “a surprise is waiting for you”: the customer knows neither what they win, nor until when, nor where to go. When the conditions don’t fit in the notification, put them on the back of the card or on the poster in your shop.
Measure what the campaign delivered
The number of messages sent doesn’t tell you how many people showed up. To judge a campaign, look at the visits and purchases logged after sending, and compare them with a period without a campaign.
- Return rate
Targeted customers who came back during the period, divided by the number of targeted customers.
- Redemption rate
Rewards or offers redeemed, divided by the number of targeted customers.
- Campaign revenue
Sales tied to the code, the dedicated reward or the observed period.
- Average basket
Campaign revenue divided by the number of transactions involved.
- Real gain
The difference from a comparable period without a campaign. It is the only number that tells you whether it was worth it.
By type of business
Which campaigns work for your type of business
The channel is the same for everyone; the right campaign is not. The product of the day brings people into a bakery, the reward milestone works in a café, and the event works for a food truck:
- Pastry shop loyalty cardThe brioche coming out of the oven at 4 p.m.: the product of the day, with no discount, fills the afternoon.
- Coffee shop loyalty cardFive visits before the free coffee: the “just two more” reminder often lands at the right moment.
- Food truck loyalty cardYou follow neighborhood events: the day-before reminder tells people where you will be.
- Florist loyalty cardA seasonal collection lends itself to a preview, echoed in your stories and on your Google Business Profile.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is a drive-to-store campaign?
An action that starts in a digital channel (your Google Business Profile, social media, email, text messages, local advertising or a Wallet card) and aims to produce a measurable visit to a physical location. Web-to-store more precisely describes the customer who researches online before visiting; in practice, the two terms serve the same goal.
Is a Wallet card enough to bring customers in?
No. The card gives you a medium and a direct channel; results come from the offer, the targeting, the timing and the clarity of the message. It works best when it adds to an up-to-date Google Business Profile, a presence in the neighborhood and a good in-store experience.
Can I reward customers for leaving a Google review?
No. Google prohibits any payment, discount, product or service offered in exchange for posting, changing or removing a review, and it also prohibits asking only your satisfied customers. Ask everyone for an honest review with nothing in return, and offer something separately that is open to all your customers, whether they left a review or not.
Do all Wallet notifications show up?
No. Customers must have allowed notifications for the card on their phone, and they can turn them off whenever they want. Google also limits alert-triggering messages to three per card per 24 hours. Never promise guaranteed visibility.
How often should I send campaigns?
There is no universal right frequency. Send when you have something useful to say, avoid chaining several short campaigns together, and watch deleted cards and in-store visits to adjust the pace. Two to four messages a month is a reasonable benchmark for a neighborhood business.
How do I know if a campaign brought anyone in?
Through the visits logged at the counter after sending, a reward dedicated to the campaign, or a code given at the register. Then compare that period’s visits with a comparable period without a campaign. Without that marker, a rise in foot traffic can’t be attributed to the notification.
Cartia
Launch your drive-to-store campaigns with Cartia
Customers join your program from a QR code, fill in a short form and add their card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, with no Cartia app. After that, everything happens from a single dashboard:
- An Apple Wallet and Google Wallet card: in your colors, offered through a QR code, with no app for the customer to install.
- Ready-made segments: “Win back,” “Close to a reward,” “Loyal customer,” “New,” to aim precisely.
- Lock screen notifications: sent by hand, or automatic after the first visit, after 30 days without a visit, when the balance reaches a threshold, or around the customer’s date of birth (Pro and Business plans).
- Cartia Counter: you log visits from a phone’s browser, and each campaign keeps its sending history.
Create my loyalty card with Cartia
Free up to 50 customers · No credit card · Notifications on the Pro and Business plans