Drive-to-Store and Mobile Apps: Boost Your In-Store Traffic

Drive-to-store is the major challenge for omnichannel retailers in 2026. While e-commerce continues to grow, physical stores remain where 72% of retail sales happen according to the US Census Bureau. The challenge? Connecting the digital experience with the physical experience.

The mobile application is the natural bridge between online and offline. It accompanies the customer at every step: searching for products online, locating the nearest store, checking real-time stock availability, and post-visit loyalty building. Brands that master drive-to-store through their mobile app see their in-store traffic increase by 20 to 35%.

Geofencing: geo-targeted push notifications

Geofencing is the most direct drive-to-store technology. By defining geographic zones around your points of sale, you can send targeted push notifications to users who enter these zones. According to a Salesforce study, geo-targeted pushes generate 2.5x higher engagement than non-geo-targeted pushes.

Concrete example: a customer with your app passes within 200 meters of your store → they receive a push with an exclusive in-store offer valid for 2 hours. The sense of urgency and physical proximity create a powerful combo. Retailers using geofencing report a 20% increase in store visits among users who receive these pushes.

• →Geofencing: zones from 100m to 1km around points of sale
• →Geo-targeted pushes: 2.5x more engagement (Salesforce)
• →+20% store visits with geofencing
• →Exclusive in-store offer with countdown to create urgency

Mobile click & collect

Click & collect (BOPIS — Buy Online Pick up In Store) is the most mature drive-to-store use case. According to NRF (National Retail Federation) data, 70% of consumers have used click & collect, and 49% made additional purchases in-store during pickup.

The mobile app makes click & collect frictionless: the user orders in 1 click, receives a push when the order is ready, and uses an in-app QR code for quick pickup. Click & collect represents on average 30% of revenue for retailers that offer it, with logistics costs 50% lower than home delivery.

• →70% of consumers use click & collect (NRF)
• →49% make additional purchases during in-store pickup
• →-50% logistics cost vs home delivery
• →Push notification when the order is ready

The intelligent store locator

A store locator integrated into the app goes beyond a simple map. It displays the nearest stores, real-time opening hours, available stock by product, and even estimated foot traffic. It's a direct conversion tool: the user checking in-store stock has a very strong purchase intent.

According to Google, "near me" searches have increased by 150% in recent years, and 76% of people who perform a local search on their smartphone visit a business within 24 hours. The mobile app with a store locator captures this local intent natively.

• →76% of local mobile searches → visit within 24h (Google)
• →Real-time stock per store displayed in the app
• →Integrated directions (Google Maps / Apple Maps)
• →Real-time hours and foot traffic

Exclusive in-store offers via the app

Creating exclusive offers accessible only through the app is a powerful lever to drive users into stores. The principle: the offer is visible in the app but can only be activated by scanning a QR code in-store or showing the app screen at checkout.

This mechanism has a dual advantage: it incentivizes physical visits AND it drives app downloads for non-users. Brands like Starbucks and Nike have shown that app-exclusive offers increase in-store traffic by 15-25% and app download rates by 30%.

• →Offers visible in the app, redeemable only in-store
• →QR code in-store to validate the offer
• →+15-25% store traffic with app-exclusive offers
• →+30% app downloads thanks to in-store offers

The augmented in-store experience

The mobile app enriches the in-store experience with native smartphone features. Barcode scanning provides access to detailed product information, customer reviews, and recommendations. Augmented reality enables virtual try-on for clothing, furniture visualization in your home, or makeup testing.

Mobile in-app payment removes checkout friction: the user scans products, pays via Apple Pay or Google Pay in the app, and walks out of the store. According to Adyen, retailers offering mobile payment in-store see a 12% increase in average basket size because they eliminate the friction point of waiting in line at checkout.

• →Barcode scanning: customer reviews and recommendations
• →Augmented reality: virtual try-on
• →Mobile in-app payment: eliminating checkout lines
• →+12% average basket size with mobile payment (Adyen)

Measuring mobile drive-to-store ROI

Measuring drive-to-store has been a historical retail challenge. The mobile app solves this problem by creating a traceable link between digital interaction and physical visits. Key metrics: number of store visits attributed to the app (via geolocation SDK), push-to-store conversion rate (push received → store visit), average basket of app customers in-store vs non-app customers, and click & collect pickup rate.

Measurement solutions include opt-in GPS tracking, in-store QR code scanning, WiFi tracking (with consent), and matching in-store transactions with app profiles. The goal is to build a unified view of the online-to-offline customer journey.

• →Attribution: tracing the push → store visit link
• →App vs non-app average basket in-store
• →Click & collect conversion rate
• →Unified view of the online-to-offline journey

Building a drive-to-store strategy with ConvertNative

ConvertNative enables you to deploy all drive-to-store building blocks in a native mobile app integrated with your e-commerce platform. Geofencing with customizable zones, automatic geo-targeted pushes, click & collect with pickup notifications, store locator with real-time stock, and mobile in-app payment.

The advantage of a native app vs a PWA for drive-to-store is crucial: only a native app can access background GPS for geofencing, send rich pushes with images and actions, and deliver the performance needed for AR and barcode scanning. Contact us for a personalized demo of our drive-to-store features.