Moving your business to a new location: how to take your regulars with you

When you move your business to a new location, announce the new address four to six weeks ahead and tell customers why you are moving. Leave the new address and the route on the old door, update the address in your existing Google Business Profile instead of creating a new one, and correct it everywhere else. Send your regulars a message and give them a reason to visit the new address in the first week.

Regulars did not come for the address, they came for you. Below you will find when and how to announce the move, what to leave on the old door, how to change your address on Google, where else to update it and how to bring your regulars to the new place.

When and how to tell customers you are moving

The worst case is a regular finding out about the move in front of a locked door. So announce it earlier than you think you need to.

1. Six weeks ahead: tell your team and your most loyal customers in person. They will spread the word.
2. Four weeks ahead: a notice at the till and on the door, a social media post, a message to your regulars.
3. The last two weeks: staff mention it to everyone at payment and show where the new address is.
4. The last day at the old place: say goodbye to your regulars and invite them to the new address.
5. Opening week: a reminder everywhere at once.

Tell them why you are moving

Customers accept change more easily when they see what is in it for them. "We will have a terrace and more seats" beats "we need a bigger kitchen". If the new address is further away, say so openly and add why the trip is worth it.

What to leave on the old door

In the first months, the old entrance is your most important advert.

• The new address in large letters and the date you open there.
• The route: how many minutes on foot, which direction, what is next to the new entrance. A simple map helps.
• A QR code that opens the new address in maps on the phone.
• A phone number or website for anyone who wants to know more.

Agree with the landlord or new tenant that the sign stays a few weeks after you open.

Example sign for the old door:

We have moved! You will find us two streets away, at 12 High Street.
From Monday 2 March we are open at the new address, with a terrace and more seating. A 4 minute walk towards the square. See you there, and bring your loyalty card!

The address and dates are only an example.

How to change your business address on Google when you move

This is where most mistakes happen. Google's Business Profile Help is clear: if your business relocates, do not create a new Business Profile for the new location. Instead, update the existing profile with the new address. You can have only one Business Profile for each business, and a profile Google considers a duplicate will not show on Google Search or Maps.

The steps, according to Google's help:

1. Open your Business Profile and select Edit profile.
2. Choose Location, and next to "Business location" select edit.
3. Enter the new address and save. If Google cannot find it, you can select Adjust and set a pin on the map.

Things that come with it:

• Verification again. Google says that if you move your business to a new address after it is verified, you must verify your business again. Plan for it and do not leave the change to the last day.
• The change is not instant. According to Google, profile changes usually take about 10 minutes to show, and in some cases up to 30 days. Google reviews changes before they go live.
• A gap between closing and opening. If you will be closed for more than seven days in between, set the profile to Temporarily closed for that time and switch back to your main hours on the opening day.

After the move, check the rest of your profile too: hours, phone, website link and above all the photos. Replace old photos of the interior and the entrance, or customers will look for the wrong door.

Where else to update your business address

Make a list and tick it off.

• Website: footer, contact page, map, structured data if you have it.
• Social media: the address in your bio, post locations, the map link.
• Other maps and business directories where you are listed.
• Delivery and bookings: delivery app profiles, your booking system, appointment confirmations.
• Print: menus, business cards, flyers, packaging stickers, vouchers.
• Documents and contracts: invoices, the till, suppliers, bank, insurance, authorities. Check with your accountant which official changes you need to report.
• Email signature and automatic replies.
• Your loyalty program: the location address in its settings (see below).

Your regulars and loyalty card move with you

The most valuable thing is often forgotten in a move: the list of people who come to you. Paper stamp cards stay in wallets, but nobody shows them to you until they come in. A digital loyalty card is different. It sits on the customer's phone in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, and the move changes nothing on it. The stamps and points a customer has collected stay. If you still use paper, a move is a good moment to switch; here is how to switch from paper loyalty cards to digital.

What this means in practice:

• You can message them. Send all card holders a short message that shows on their lock screen. With Rewardly you write it in advance and schedule it for a specific date and time, so the moving notice and the opening week reminder are ready in one go. Push notifications are included in the Advanced plan and higher, and they only reach customers who agreed to marketing messages.
• The customer list is yours. Customer data belongs to the business, and Rewardly lets you export it as a CSV file.
• Update the location address in your settings. In Rewardly you edit it in the location settings.
• If you use location notifications, the message a card shows on the lock screen when a customer is near your store, set the new location for them in Rewardly after the move, so the message appears near the new place and not the old one. Then update the cards already in customers' wallets, at most once every 24 hours. This feature is also on the Advanced plan and higher.

Opening a second place instead of moving? See Loyalty program for multiple locations.

A reason to visit the new address

For a regular, a new address means a new habit. The first visit is the hardest, so give them a reason to make it right away.

1. A welcome gift for card holders. A coffee, a pastry or a small extra with the service for everyone who shows their loyalty card in the first two weeks.
2. A double stamp day. On a Rewardly stamp card you can set days when customers earn twice the stamps. For the first weeks at the new address, put it on your quietest weekday.
3. An evening for regulars. Invite them the day before the official opening, show them the new space and thank them for coming.
4. Something the old place did not have. A terrace, a new dish, a new service. Mention it in every notice.

Relocating a salon: clients and appointments

In a salon, most clients have appointments, so you know who is coming.

• Book straight into the new address. Tell every client booking a date after the move, and repeat it in the appointment reminder.
• Send the address the day before. Include where to park and how to find the entrance.

Your team moves with you

Regulars often come not just for the coffee or the haircut but for specific people. If your team is moving with you, say so: "Find us at the new address, Anna and Peter are coming with us." If someone from the team is leaving, tell customers ahead rather than letting them find out at the new place.

The first month at the new address

• Signs outside. The new entrance must be visible from the street. If it is not, add a stand or a board. The signs and arrows from our road works guide work here too.
• Offer the card to new neighbours. New people walk past the new address. They add the digital loyalty card to their phone in 10 seconds, no app needed.
• Measure. Compare the number of transactions in the first four weeks with your last month at the old address. If you have a loyalty program, check how many regulars have already come.
• Follow up with those who have not come yet. On the Advanced plan and higher, Rewardly lets you set a message that goes out if a customer has not come back within a number of days you choose after a visit. You build it yourself as a sequence of steps.

The first weeks are often slower. What matters is the direction after a month or two.

FAQ

Should I create a new Google Business Profile when I move?

No. Google's Business Profile Help says that if your business relocates, you should not create a new profile but update the existing one with the new address. After changing the address you must verify your business again. A duplicate profile does not show on Search or Maps.

Should I mark the old location as permanently closed on Google?

Not for a move: you change the address in the same profile. If you already marked it permanently closed as part of a location change, Google says not to reopen it but to add a new business, verify it and contact Google support if you want the reviews moved.

How far in advance should I tell customers about the move?

Four to six weeks ahead. Tell your most loyal customers in person even earlier, and everyone else through a notice at the till, on the door, on social media and in a message. In the last two weeks, staff mention it to everyone at payment.

Will regulars lose the stamps on their loyalty card?

Not with a digital card. The card is on the customer's phone and the stamps and points they collected stay; the move changes nothing. With paper cards, say clearly that they are still valid at the new address.

How long should the sign stay on the old door?

Ideally at least a few weeks after you open at the new address, if the landlord or new tenant allows it. People walk past who never heard about the move. The new address, the route and a QR code to the map save them the search.

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