Case Study: A&W drives same-store sales growth with Cardlytics

Driving new and returning guests to increase same-store sales

A&W, the iconic American restaurant brand, wanted to modernize its marketing while staying true to its heritage and increase same-store sales with measurable results for its franchisees. To do that, it partnered with Cardlytics and used its digital marketing platform to move beyond traditional local and print-focused efforts.

Cardlytics analyzed bank purchase data to identify likely A&W guests, then targeted new and lapsed customers near A&W locations with personalized offers in online banking channels. The campaign drove strong results, including a 3:1 incremental return on ad spend, 45% of lapsed guests returning within 90 days, and more than 200,000 purchases from new guests, while also giving A&W clear, transaction-based reporting on sales impact.

A&W

Liz Bazner

Director of Digital