They just can't reach them. An Auckland founder launches flock, built for walk-in businesses that want to bring their regulars back on demand.
Every week, thousands of customers walk into local cafes, barbershops, bakeries, and dairies across Auckland, spend money, and leave without a trace. No name. No number. Nothing. The business has no way to reach them, thank them, or bring them back.
Steve Pulley has spent years helping local business owners grow their customer base. He kept running into the same wall: owners with loyal regulars and no way to contact any of them.
flock is his answer.
A printed counter stand holds a QR code. Customers scan it on their phone, enter their number, and join the owner's text list in under a minute. No app to download. No tablet to manage. Nothing for staff to do.
When the owner wants to fill a quiet Tuesday or promote a new special, they send one text. A text reaches 95% of recipients. A Facebook post reaches around 5%.
"Walk-in businesses are in a different position to service businesses," Pulley said. "A dentist has a client's contact details because the appointment requires it. A walk-in business often has no idea who just came in and made a purchase. No booking was required. No invoice was raised. flock is built for that gap."
flock launched in late May with its first merchants across Auckland's North Shore and Hibiscus Coast. Each gets a custom-branded counter stand, a real-time dashboard showing every customer who has joined their list, and full ownership of their contact data from day one. Setup takes less than a day.
"We started local because that's where we could see the problem most clearly," Pulley said. "But every suburb in Auckland has the same businesses facing the same problem. If an owner wants to stop losing track of the customers they've already earned, this is built for them."
Merchant enquiries: flockapp.io
