How Craft + Carry keeps customers coming back

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About Craft + Carry

Since opening its first shop in downtown Brooklyn, Craft + Carry has introduced its customers to beers from all around the country. With the atmosphere of a taproom and the convenience of a bottle shop, customers can discover beers from independent breweries that they may not be able to find anywhere else.

Now with seven locations in the New York City area, the growth of Craft + Carry is due to more than a great beer selection. They credit their continued success to their focus on marketing and customer loyalty, with the help of Square every step of the way.

With Square being so scalable, it really works for us and lets us manage everything from one place, which I think is going to be super helpful as we grow.”

— Dieter Seelig
Owner, Craft + Carry

Managing multiple store locations with a single inventory system

In 2017 Craft + Carry opened in downtown Brooklyn in a 150-square-foot space. With the hope of opening a second larger location, they knew they needed a system that would make it easy to run multiple shops.

“We went with Square because we were looking for an integrated system that would handle our inventory, and be easy for our customers to use. It was a low cost of entry for us to start.”

— Dieter Seelig
Owner, Craft + Carry

Craft + Carry introduces between 40 and 50 new beers every single week, so their inventory must stay up to date across all locations. Getting new inventory into the system and ready to sell takes the team almost no time at all with Square Point of Sale. No matter where they are, the Craft + Carry team can track inventory across every location in real time from their phones.

Engaging customers with smarter customer retention strategies

After opening several new locations throughout New York City, Craft + Carry needed to keep customers coming back and visiting their newer locations. The pandemic brought new challenges, and even though customers could order online and pick up in person, Craft + Carry wanted to keep their regulars engaged.

They realized that many of the same customers visited different locations, depending on which location was most convenient at the time. They built a loyalty program that could work across locations and create a better way for them to connect with customers.

“The Square loyalty program does a great job in keeping us connected with our customers. It keeps them motivated to come in again and again and make purchases.”

— Dieter Seelig
Owner, Craft + Carry

The Craft + Carry Square loyalty program has driven more sales and kept customers excited about what’s new at each location. The team uses data and insights from their loyalty program to target the right customers with the right sale or promotion. Now they have almost 10,000 loyalty members and are continuing to grow.

Craft + Carry uses Square Marketing to update their customers with weekly emails and newsletters, informing them about new beers, new breweries opening near them, or new deals and events happening soon. And since everything is integrated in Square Marketing, they see how many sales can be attributed directly to any particular marketing campaign.

Selling more products with online and delivery options

During the pandemic Craft + Carry wanted to offer a digital and contactless option to keep customers and employees safe. They began to offer delivery or pickup options with Square Online. It proved to be a success throughout the pandemic, with Craft + Carry delivering to almost all of Manhattan.

Customers can order a beer online and get it delivered in less than an hour, offering a new level of convenience that sets Craft + Carry apart. Customers order online and stop by on their way home to pick up their order, which is already packaged, paid for, and ready to go. Not only is the pickup option an added convenience and a timesaver for customers, but it often can lead customers to browse and buy more when they stop in to pick up their orders.

“Square Online allowed us to connect with our customers, even when they weren’t allowed to come into our store. The online store is intuitive, and we’ve had good feedback from our customers.”

— Dieter Seelig
Owner, Craft + Carry

Craft + Carry also offers physical Square Gift Cards so customers can share Craft + Carry with their friends and families. Gift cards are one the most popular rewards in their Square loyalty program, and they can be redeemed through Square Online and at all Craft + Carry locations.

With a loyal following of over 10,000 customers, Craft + Carry has their sights set on expanding to some of the country’s larger craft beer communities.

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