Tag Local Customers Based on Proximity to Your Store

4 min setup
No coding required
Runs automatically

Engage nearby customers by tagging them based on their proximity to your physical store. This MESA workflow template automatically tags customers as “Local Customer” if their zip code falls within a specified radius, such as 25 miles, of your store. Ideal for targeting local promotions, exclusive offers, or in-store pickup options, this automation helps you build loyalty and foster a strong local community.

How it works

4 steps to start automatically tagging customers who live near your physical store location

Order Created

App connector: [Shopify](/content/apps/shopify/integrate "View Shopify integration page"/index.html)• Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured)

Why this matters: This trigger activates the workflow every time someone places an order, ensuring you capture local customers as soon as they make their first purchase.

This step automatically monitors your Shopify store for new orders and captures the customer's shipping address details. No configuration is required - the trigger runs continuously in the background and passes the order data, including the customer's zip code and shipping address, to the next step for location analysis. The system processes every order type, whether it's from your online store, mobile app, or other sales channels.

Check Customer Proximity with AI

App connector: [AI](/content/apps/ai/integrate "View AI integration page"/index.html)• Time to complete: 1 minute

Why this matters: This AI step determines if the customer lives within your specified distance from your store by comparing their zip code to your store location.

You'll need to replace "[Your store's zip code]" in the prompt with your actual store's zip code or postal code. The AI compares the customer's shipping zip code against your store location and responds with a simple "yes" or "no" answer. By default, the system checks for customers within 25 miles, but you can adjust this distance in the prompt (for example, change "25 miles" to "10 miles" or "50 miles" depending on what you consider "local"). The temperature setting is set to 1 for consistent responses.

Filter: Local Customers Only

App connector: [Filter](/content/apps/filter/integrate "View Filter integration page"/index.html)• Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured)

Why this matters: This filter ensures only customers identified as "local" proceed to get tagged, preventing non-local customers from receiving the local customer tag.

The filter checks if the AI response equals "Yes" and only allows the workflow to continue if the customer is determined to be local. This step is automatically configured to look for an exact match with "Yes" - no customization needed. If the AI responds with "No" (meaning the customer is not local), the workflow stops here and no tag gets applied. Only when the filter condition is met does the customer move to the final tagging step.

Tag Customer as Local

App connector: [Shopify](/content/apps/shopify/integrate "View Shopify integration page"/index.html)• Time to complete: 1 minute

Why this matters: This final step applies the local customer tag to qualifying customers, making it easy to segment and target local customers for future marketing campaigns or special offers.

The system automatically tags the customer with "Local Customer" by default, but you can customize this tag name to match your store's naming convention (like "Local VIP," "Nearby Customer," or "Store Pickup Eligible"). The tag gets applied directly to the customer's profile in Shopify, where you can view it in the customer details or use it to create customer segments. Once tagged, you can easily filter these customers for local promotions, pickup notifications, or in-store event invitations.

Frequently asked questions

What if my store has multiple locations?

You'll need to create separate workflows for each store location, each with its own zip code in the AI prompt. Alternatively, you can modify the prompt to include multiple store locations and have the AI check proximity to the nearest one.

Can I tag customers based on their billing address instead of shipping address?

Yes, you can modify the AI prompt to use the billing address zip code instead. Just replace the shipping address reference in the prompt with the billing address field, though keep in mind some customers may use different billing and shipping addresses.

Will this work for international customers with postal codes?

The AI can handle various postal code formats, but you may need to adjust the distance measurement in your prompt (kilometers instead of miles) and provide your store's postal code in the format your international customers use.