Sign in with Google “We think a lot about showing up in the right place, at the right time,” says Steph So, chief growth officer at Shake Shack. For the restaurant brand, that increasingly meant being present in a scroll, a search result, or a tap on the screen — wherever intent was already forming — and ensuring a seamless path from craving to checkout.
To meet that expectation, Shake Shack reimagined its app strategy, making its app a powerful loyalty engine. Using Web to App Connect and optimizing with AI-powered Search and Performance Max, the team created a more cohesive journey from the web to the app. As a result, app conversions were 6X higher than those on the mobile web.
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Shake Shack partnered with Google to create a seamless, personalized experience for their guests, using Web to App Connect.
Turning the app into a destination
While Shake Shack’s mobile web traffic remained healthy, the conversion experience fell short. The brand saw an opportunity to unify the guest journey by nudging mobile web visitors toward its app, where personalization and frequency-building features could work harder.
We used to treat our app and website as separate. Now they work together.
“We used to treat our app and website as separate. Now they work together,” says Lisa Whittaker, Shake Shack’s senior director of digital marketing. “Once someone is in the app, we can reward them with personalized offers and make it easier for them to come back.”
Through Web to App Connect, Shake Shack deep-linked web content to relevant app pages. These efforts, supported by Performance Max and Search campaigns, turned one-time visits into recurring engagement. The data tells the story: App conversions were 6X higher than mobile web traffic, and ROAS increased 2.5X.
Turning cravings into routines
The Shake Shack app wasn’t just optimized for performance; it was built to encourage habits. Behavioral insights informed features like the “$1 daily soda” offer, designed around the after-school rush.
“We started seeing this consistent traffic spike around 3 p.m.,” says So. “Teenagers, young adults, people just looking for a small pick-me-up. So we introduced something small and habitual to meet that moment.”
Offers like these were exclusive to the app, reinforcing its value. Shake Shack also gave app users first access to new menu items, from seasonal sandwiches to the now-viral Dubai chocolate shake. Personalization, frequency rewards, and a sense of insider status turned Shake Shack’s app into more than a channel. It became part of the guest’s routine.
Creating moments that feed the feed
When Shake Shack launched its Dubai chocolate shake in just three U.S. cities — Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City — something unexpected happened. The shake, with its crackable chocolate shell and social-media-friendly visuals, triggered a nationwide spike in search interest.
It was a reminder that discovery doesn’t always follow a funnel. Today, intent can spark while searching, streaming, scrolling, or shopping — especially for always-on audiences who move fluidly across platforms and expect brands to meet them in the moment.
Team Shake Shack echoes this sentiment. “We want to pop up natively in the places they’re searching, in the place they’re scrolling, in the articles they’re reading, in a really nonintrusive, native, and intuitive way,” says So.
What marketers can learn from Shake Shack’s app strategy
- Unify web and app journeys. Shake Shack used deep linking and smart bidding tools to bring users from web to app, where conversions were stronger.
- Design for routine, not just reach. Small, timely offers and early-access drops helped turn casual users into loyal guests.
- Think scroll-first. Visually engaging products like the Dubai shake weren’t just great to taste; they were made to be seen, shared, and searched.
- Use AI to personalize at scale. With automation powering campaign delivery and bid optimization, Shake Shack stayed relevant in real time — without sacrificing efficiency.
