Google reviews for a local shop
Updated on
In a local shop, the plate goes on the counter, next to the card reader. The customer sees it while the transaction finishes and can leave a review by tapping their phone, without you saying a word. It is the one compulsory crossing point every customer passes through, which makes it the most rewarding placement.
Google reviews for a local shop
A neighbourhood shop lives off its local visibility. Yet when someone looks for a grocery, a florist or a bakery near them, they are not comparing catalogues: they are comparing ratings and review counts on a map.
The counter is your one compulsory crossing point
Every other part of the shop is walked differently by each customer. The counter is crossed by everyone, at the end, once the purchase decision is made and satisfaction is secured.
That is where the plate pays best: placed next to the card reader, it sits in the field of view during the few seconds when the transaction finishes and the customer has nothing to do.
What it asks of you
Nothing, once the plate is down. That is the important point for a shop where there is often a queue: there is no form to hand over, no e-mail address to collect, no follow-up to send. The customer sees, scans, and the review goes to your listing.
A word as you hand back the change noticeably improves the result, but the setup works without it.
The metal counter trap
Many retail counters carry a metal surface, a stainless steel till plate or a zinc top. Metal blocks the NFC signal and can prevent detection entirely.
Two simple fixes: add an insulating support thick enough, or use a free-standing holder rather than mounting directly. The QR code itself works whatever the surface.
Several outlets
If you run two or three shops, one plate per store lets you track each one's scans separately from a single account. That is a useful indicator: a shop scanning far less than another at comparable footfall usually signals a placement problem, not a customer one.
The legal position, in two lines
Asking every customer for a review is lawful. Offering something in exchange, or asking only the customers who look satisfied, is not. See our guide on the legality of asking for reviews.
Further reading
Frequently asked questions
Will customers in a hurry really scan?
Some will, and that is normal. The point is not to get a review from every customer but to offer the action to all of them, every day, with no effort on your part. On a flow of a hundred customers a day, even a small proportion produces a review volume no one-off campaign can match.
Do I need to mention it to the customer?
It is not required, and that is one of the advantages: the plate works on its own. Saying a word as you hand back the change markedly increases the rate, but it is not necessary for the setup to work, which matters when there is a queue.
My counter is metal, is that a problem?
For NFC, yes: metal blocks the signal and can prevent detection entirely. Add an insulating support thick enough between the plate and the surface, or rely on the printed QR code, which works regardless of the surface. A free-standing holder rather than direct mounting usually solves it.
Can I ask every customer for a review?
Yes, and it is the only lawful way to go about it. What is prohibited is asking only the customers you assume are satisfied, making the review conditional on a discount or a gift, or screening feedback before publication. A plate offers the same thing to everyone, with no sorting.
What if I run several shops?
A single account manages as many plates as you need, with separate statistics per plate. You can therefore compare your outlets and see which collects best. The volume discount applies from the second plate.
Is the plate deductible and the VAT recoverable?
The plate is a business purchase, so a deductible expense under the usual conditions. If you supply a valid intra-community VAT number, the sale is exempt and no VAT is charged to you; otherwise the VAT of the delivery country applies. Check your situation with your accountant. Prices shown are exclusive of VAT, which is calculated at checkout based on your delivery country: 20% in France, 21% in Belgium, 17% in Luxembourg.
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