Guest WiFi Marketing for Shops and Retailers

The opportunity

Why guest WiFi works for shops

Most shops know what sold yesterday but very little about who bought it. Till data tells you the product, not the person, and the shopper who browsed for a while and left empty-handed leaves no trace at all. Meanwhile almost everyone in your shop has a phone in their hand.

Guest WiFi gives you a friendly reason to ask. Shoppers sign in with a social account or a short form, on a login page styled to match your brand, and you choose whether to ask for an email address, mobile number, birthday or postcode. Marketing consent is a separate, skippable step, so the list you build is made up of people who said yes.

From there you can put a seasonal sale in front of every shopper as they connect, thank first-time visitors, send a birthday treat or win back customers who have gone quiet.

Benefits

How Wayv helps shops

Four ways guest WiFi marketing earns its keep for shops, from the first sign-in to the next visit.

Your brand on the login

Brand the whole sign-in journey with your logo, colours and message, then send shoppers to your website or a page showing a sale, a new range or your latest social post. No developer needed.

Insight beyond the till

Collect email, mobile, birthday, postcode and your own questions at sign-in. Insights show demographics, visit frequency and return rate, so you can see which shoppers come back and which have gone quiet.

Offers shoppers act on

Send discount codes and promotions by email or text to opted-in guests, matched to whether they are new, loyal or lapsed. Reach them with the right offer when it is time to bring them back.

Smooth WiFi at busy times

Set shorter session times and speed limits for peak trading, so the connection stays steady for everyone and shoppers are nudged to browse, then head to the till. Your team stays in charge of the rules.

Inspiration

Campaign ideas for shops

Each idea works by email or text, and most can run automatically once set up. Our guide to WiFi marketing has more on consent, timing and measuring results.

Seasonal sale on the sign-in page
Put the sale, a new range or a one-off new-customer discount in front of every shopper as they connect, and change it whenever your stock or the season changes.
Offers matched to interests
Ask which ranges shoppers like with a custom question at sign-in, then email or text a discount on the things they said they care about. Your team honours the code at the till.
Win back quiet customers
An automated email goes to guests who have not visited for a while, with a reason to return such as new stock or a thank-you offer. You choose the gap and the message.
Birthday treats in store
Collect birthdays at sign-in and send an automatic message with a small treat to use in store. It feels like a personal thank-you rather than another mass email.

How it works

How guest WiFi marketing works

Your guests get quick, free WiFi. You get a growing list of opted-in customers and simple tools to welcome them back.

Connect
Guests join your free WiFi
Sign up
A quick social or email sign-up with consent
Market
Send targeted emails, texts and offers
Grow back
Bring guests back again and again

FAQ

Guest WiFi for shops: common questions

Can I keep my tills and stock systems off the guest WiFi?

You can choose to place guests on a dedicated guest network, kept separate from the network your tills, card machines and stock systems use. The exact set-up depends on your equipment, so tell us what you have and we will talk you through it.

Can I use my existing email marketing tool?

Yes. You can view and export your guest list at any time, and Wayv can send data to tools such as Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact, or connect through Zapier. Wayv also has its own email and text tools if you would rather use those.

Will the WiFi slow down on busy Saturdays?

We cannot promise a particular speed, as that depends on your broadband and equipment. What you can do is set speed limits and shorter session times at peak periods, so no single device hogs the connection for everyone else.

Got another question? Read our guest WiFi marketing FAQs or see every Wayv feature in one place.

Explore more

Good ideas travel well between trades. See how guest WiFi marketing works for venues with a lot in common with yours.