Case Study: Shake Shack achieves 200,000 app downloads and 15% higher mobile purchases with Applause

Shake Shack - Customer Case Study

Shake Shack, the fast-casual burger chain known for its high-touch service and tech-savvy customers, set out to extend its brand into mobile by building an app that felt authentically “Shake Shack” while delivering seamless ordering, payment, and loyalty experiences. The company assembled an ecosystem of partners for mobile ordering, payments, CRM and marketing, and needed broad QA and operations testing to stress the app and in-store workflows before launch.

Shake Shack partnered with Applause for virtual and field QA, running 12 test cycles across 10 locations and fulfilling 775+ test orders to uncover issues (app crashes on drink orders, missing items, advance-order bugs, AmEx payment failure) and train staff on new workflows. Fixes and operational improvements (staff training, better signage, a dedicated pickup window) helped the app reach 200,000 iOS downloads in four months and drove mobile orders with average checks 15% higher than in-store.

Shake Shack

Zach Koff

Chief Operating Officer