Centra: Driving immediate footfall with local SMS campaigns, backed by head office oversight
Overview
Centra is Ireland’s leading convenience retail group, with over 450 locations nationwide. The team wanted a faster way for local stores to drive footfall and sales, while keeping campaigns compliant and consistent with the Centra brand.
Results
Built opt-in customer databases quickly, including in stores starting from scratch
Generated immediate in-store impact from timely local offers, including a reported €1,500 to €1,600 sales boost compared to a normal Saturday for one store
Increased loyalty sign-ups, with customers actively asking to join without direct promotion
Enabled local marketing at store level while giving head office clear visibility and control
The Challenge
Centra needed a local marketing channel that store owners could use easily, without heavy technology or complicated setup. The solution had to be fast enough to respond to competitor activity and simple enough to run consistently across hundreds of locations.
What We Implemented
Phonovation enabled Centra stores to run opt-in SMS campaigns that promote exclusive offers to local customers. Store owners could launch timely campaigns in minutes, while head office retained visibility across activity to support consistency and oversight.
Local campaigns that move quickly
Stores used SMS to run localised campaigns around community events, sporting occasions and charity days. This helped deliver strong engagement and drive footfall when it mattered most.
Inbound campaigns that grow the database
Text-to-enter promotions and competitions helped stores grow their customer lists quickly, creating a database that could be reused for future campaigns.
Support that made rollout easy
Phonovation supported stores directly and provided live demos, helping store owners adopt the system quickly, including those with limited online experience.
Business Impact
Centra built a direct customer channel that delivered fast, measurable performance at store level, while staying brand-safe at scale.
Store owners reported customers arriving within five minutes of a message being sent
One store reported a €1,500 to €1,600 boost compared to a normal Saturday
Loyalty participation increased, including customers requesting to join without direct promotion
Head office gained visibility into scheduled and sent campaigns, including opt-outs and customer database figures by store
“People were in the door within five minutes on a Saturday. The shop was packed out and this offer gave a €1,500 / €1,600 boost compared to a normal Saturday!”
Want to drive immediate footfall with compliant, local SMS marketing, while keeping oversight at head office?
Talk to Phonovation about building customer databases and running high-impact local campaigns across multiple locations.