1 in 3 drive-thru customers are transient visitors
In Australia, the average drive-through restaurant is running almost 30% transient customers.
One in three drive-thru customers in Australia are transient visitors, according to Geotech Information Services.
The new emerging datasets on customer behaviour are providing QSR operators with fresh ways to assess a site’s potential—focusing not just on sales but on understanding the broader customer lifecycle.
“As an example, it can be used to assess the foot traffic potential past a particular location,” said Bruce Waddington, Founder and Director of Geotech Information Services, during the QSR Media Conference & Awards 2025 Powered by Red Bull.
Waddington explained that this data can also be applied to specific brands, allowing operators to “fence off” individual stores and capture mobile device data from customers visiting the site. These devices can then be tracked to understand where customers come from and where they go afterward.
The company also leverages credit card merchant data through its partnership with MasterCard to provide a deeper look into spending behaviour within specific retail precincts. This, Waddington said, allows retailers to “drill down” into the actual purchasing activity tied to each area.
However, he cautioned that more data is not always better.
“Retailers run the risk of breathing too much data in and coming out more confused than they were before,” he said. “Instead of sitting with a 30-page report, you need to filter down what really matters and come out with absolute clarity around how strong a site is.”
Cannibalisation in the market
Beyond site selection, measuring cannibalisation remains a critical part of network expansion, said Jeff Vassel, Global Business Development Manager at Geotech Information Services.
“It is not just analysing cannibalisation, but also sales potential as well, which will enable retailers to assess and analyse what drives sales performance for their brand,” Waddington added.
He noted that understanding what distinguishes high-performing sites from underperforming ones is essential to sustainable growth.
“If you are not actively trying to understand the impact of cannibalisation, you are limiting the brand's ability to grow,” he said.
On the use of artificial intelligence
Waddington also addressed the growing reliance on artificial intelligence in location planning.
“We can't just expect artificial intelligence to answer all your site location questions,” he said.
Whilst AI helps consolidate data and make analysis more efficient, he warned that human insight remains indispensable.
“Relying on AI alone to make major location decisions can lead to horror stories,” he said. “We are still not at the point where you can just let AI run loose and tell you exactly where your next site should be.”
