Quiznos, a franchised, quick-service restaurant, implemented a location-based mobile targeting campaign that targeted tech-savvy and busy consumers of Portland, Oregon. It made use of Sense Networks’ platform, which analyzed the location trails of mobile users over detailed time periods and built anonymous profiles based on the behavioral attributes of their shopping habits. With the application of predictive analytics on the user profiles, Quiznos employed location-based behavioral targeting to narrow the characteristics of users who were most likely to eat at a quickservice restaurant. Its advertising campaign ran for 2 months—November and December 2012—and targeted only potential customers who had been to quick-service restaurants over the past 30 days, within a 3-mile radius of Quiznos, and between the ages of 18 and 34. It used relevant mobile advertisements of local coupons based on the customer’s location. The campaign resulted in over 3.7 million new customers and a 20% increase in coupon redemptions within the Portland area.

Questions for Discussion

1. How can location-based analytics help retailers in targeting customers?

2. Research similar applications of location-based analytics in the retail domain.