Playbook — Qualified Footfall (Drive to Mall)
Drive visitors to a physical location using digital activations linked to in-store rewards.
Use this playbook when your goal is to get people to visit a specific physical location — a shopping centre, a store, a pop-up, or an event. The core mechanic: offer a reward that can only be claimed in person, using an OmniLab activation to pre-qualify and invite the visitor before they arrive.
Ingredients kit
Before you start, confirm you have:
- a specific location and visit period (a shopping centre, a store opening, an in-venue event)
- an in-store redemption mechanism (a staff-validated QR code, a printed voucher, or a kiosk)
- a reward that justifies the trip (a significant discount, an exclusive product, a free gift on arrival)
- a digital channel to pre-qualify the audience (email, social, local paid media)
Steps
Plan — Define the visit incentive and location
The visit incentive must be strong enough to change where someone decides to go. A small discount rarely moves people physically.
- Choose a reward that is exclusive to the location: something you can only get by showing up.
- Set the visit window: a limited time (a weekend, a two-week event) creates urgency.
- Define the redemption flow: how will staff or a kiosk verify that the visitor has earned the reward?
- Confirm the logistics: who manages redemptions, and how do you prevent duplicate claims?
Build — Create the digital activation
- Create a new Campaign in OmniLab Studio — a game, instant win, or form works well as the pre-visit hook.
- Configure the experience so it generates a unique reward code or QR code that the visitor brings to the location.
- Set up the reward in Rewards: a single-use voucher code or a scannable proof of eligibility.
- Add the opt-in section to capture the visitor's details before the visit.
- Set campaign dates that match the visit window and publish.
Launch — Reach your local audience
- Target people within a geographic radius of the location using local paid media or geo-targeted social.
- Send the activation to existing members or subscribers who live near the location.
- Display teaser materials in the physical location to trigger digital participation from people already nearby.
Measure — Track digital-to-physical conversion
- Activation starts: how many people engaged with the digital campaign.
- Reward codes generated: how many people completed the activation and received a reward to redeem.
- In-store redemptions: how many people actually visited and redeemed (this is the core conversion metric).
- Redemption rate: reward codes generated divided by in-store redemptions.
Optimize — Close the digital-to-physical gap
After the campaign:
- Compare redemption rates across different channels — which source sent people who actually showed up?
- Review the reward: if redemption was low, the reward may not have been compelling enough to justify the trip.
- Identify the visitors who redeemed and add them to a post-visit engagement sequence.
Which formats fit this goal
Footfall campaigns need a reason to come in person. Choose formats where the reward, or the game itself, only exists at the venue.
- Treasure Hunts — a trail of checkpoints through the venue; the product page is Treasure Hunts.
- Events — bookings for in-store sessions, workshops or launches, managed with OmniLab Events.
- Smart Links — QR codes on windows, mall media and flyers that route people to the campaign; see Smart Links.
- An instant-win game from OmniLab Games whose reward is claimed at the counter turns a digital win into a physical visit.
Frequently asked questions
How do I verify that the visit happened?
Make the reward claimable in person only. Staff validate the reward at the counter, so every redemption is a confirmed visit.
Can one campaign cover several locations?
Yes. Run one campaign across the network and give each site its own Smart Link or QR code, so results split cleanly by location.
How do I measure footfall from a digital campaign?
Count redemptions, not clicks. Scans per location, bookings honoured and rewards claimed in store are the numbers that reflect people who came.