Retail: Teardown Pack
Load this pack when the target sells through physical stores, alone or alongside online: chains, omnichannel retailers, and franchise retail. Growth here comes from opening the right stores, filling them, and linking online and in-store behavior through loyalty and local search.
Contents
- How to recognize it
- What drives growth here
- Signals to collect
- Going inside
- Rules that limit copying
- Plays that usually transfer
- Metrics to ask about
How to Recognize It
- A store locator with many locations and a page per store (
/stores/<city>,/locations/<state>/<city>). - "Buy online, pick up in store", store inventory checks, or "in stock at your store" on product pages.
- A loyalty program and a mobile app linked from the site.
- Job posts for store managers, district managers, and real estate or site selection roles.
- For franchises: a
/franchiseor "Own a franchise" page. teardown.mjs detect <domain>flags store locators and location page families.
What Drives Growth Here
- Store openings: new locations are the main growth lever, so the store count over time is the growth curve. Pace, regions, and formats (small format, outlet) matter.
- Same-store sales: growth in existing stores comes from traffic and basket size, driven by promotions, assortment, and loyalty.
- Local search: shoppers search "near me". Store pages, Google Business Profiles, and local inventory decide who gets the visit.
- Loyalty and the app: loyalty data drives personalized offers and repeat visits. App installs and loyalty sign-ups are key moves.
- Franchising: growth may be franchise sales, so the franchise recruitment funnel is a second marketing engine.
Signals to Collect
| Signal | Where or how | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| ★ Store count over time | The store locator and its archived captures; teardown.mjs sitemap-growth <domain> on the location pages |
Opening pace and regions. Each batch of openings becomes a move |
| ★ Store openings in job posts | Job posts for new store staff, by city, dated | Openings before they're announced |
| Location page quality | A sample of store pages: hours, inventory, events, schema | The local SEO engine (see schema) |
| Google Business Profiles | Review counts, ratings, and reply rate per location, via the official Google Places API or by hand | Local reputation by store; never use a Maps scraper |
| Weekly circular cadence | The circular or deals page and its archive | The promotion calendar and discount depth; promotions become moves |
| Loyalty program | The loyalty page and its archived versions | Rewards structure and when it changed |
| App store rank and reviews | App Store and Google Play pages (see aso) | How hard they push the app and how it's received |
| Local inventory ads | Google Shopping results with "in store" labels | Whether they push store pickup through search |
| ★ Store closures | Locator captures and FDD Item 20 tables | Closures hide behind net store counts; gross openings and closures show the real pace |
| ★ Retail media network | A "media" or "advertise with us" page aimed at brands | Whether they run a retail media business, which funds discounts |
| Events and in-store experiences | Store event pages and social posts | Traffic drivers beyond price |
| ★ Franchise disclosure documents | The franchise page, plus the FDD from state franchise databases (California, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and others publish them) | Item 19 financial performance representations (if included), unit counts and openings and closures by year (Item 20), and fees. Real numbers, often for years back |
| Real estate and expansion news | Press, local news on new leases, real estate job posts | Where they're heading next |
Going Inside
With approval, under the user's real identity:
- Loyalty sign-up: join with the dedicated inbox. Log the welcome offer, points rules, and the email and push cadence.
- App: install, screenshot onboarding, permission requests (location, notifications), and the first offer.
- Buy online, pick up in store: within budget, test the flow and the pickup experience.
- Store visit: if the user or their team visits in person, photograph public displays only where store policy allows. Note signage, QR codes, and loyalty prompts at checkout.
- Don't photograph staff or customers, and don't question store staff under false pretenses.
Rules That Limit Copying
- Pricing and promotions: "was" prices and sale claims must follow FTC guidance and state law on reference pricing. Check with counsel before copying claims.
- Loyalty and data: state privacy laws (CCPA and CPRA in California, and others) cover loyalty data and financial-incentive notices. Copy the program with the notices.
- SMS and app push: TCPA rules apply to marketing texts.
- Franchise sales: the FTC Franchise Rule requires a disclosure document, and some states require registration. A competitor's franchise marketing can't be copied without the same disclosures.
- Accessibility: US courts have applied the ADA to retail websites and apps, and accessibility lawsuits against retailers are common. Build to WCAG; check with counsel.
Plays That Usually Transfer
| Play | Run it with |
|---|---|
| Store and location page family | programmatic-seo, schema |
| Local reviews program per location | referrals |
| Loyalty program and its email flows | emails, offers |
| App install and onboarding push | aso, onboarding |
| Promotion and event calendar | marketing-plan, events |
| Grand opening launches per store | launch, public-relations |
| SMS offers with compliant opt-in | sms |
Metrics to Ask About
- Same-store sales growth: sales growth in stores open more than a year.
- Store traffic and conversion: visits per store and share of visits that buy.
- Average basket: spend per transaction.
- Loyalty penetration: share of sales from loyalty members.
- Online to store share: share of online orders picked up in store, and store visits driven by online.
- New store ramp: months for a new store to reach its target sales.
- Local search actions: calls, direction requests, and visits from Business Profiles per store.