What do Jeopardy, the Price is Right and Family Feud have in common? They’re BIG fun with BIG rewards! As a business owner, there comes a time when you need exciting new ways to surprise and delight your customer base. If you’re looking to attract new customers, keep your current ones, and generate buzz around your biz, consider gamifying the customer experience with contests and games. Not only are they extremely fun and engaging but also a cost-effective acquisition method that’s guaranteed to get people hooked on your brand. Let’s explore some attainable examples of contests that will help convert visits into hard sales!
We all know acquiring a new customer can be 5x more expensive than keeping an existing one. With the allure of a prize, you can significantly lower that cost so the price is always right! Not only do contests and games make shopping fun, but they give your business an opportunity to receive valuable new customer data as part of the entry process. One way to do this is using contest sign-ups as a way to reduce cart abandonment in-store and online and grow your email list.
Contests are great for community building because they create an incentivized channel for a broader audience to come to you, especially if the barrier for entry is low (for example, simply asking social media users to follow your page and tag friends in the comments or submitting their names in a draw). You don’t want to introduce too many barriers, but don’t miss the opportunity to learn a bit more about your consumers so they keep on coming back!
Giveaways not only help to increase your leads but can also boost engagement with your brand across channels. Many businesses strategically launch contests during peak seasons to keep up sales momentum and keep their brand top-of-mind. A great example of a brand amplifying their engagement with gaming is their popular Monopoly game. Stickers attached to specific food and drink purchases represent properties on the Monopoly board and customers play for a chance to win prizes ranging from free food and beverages to cash prizes and even a new car. Since each item purchase represents an additional opportunity to win, McDonald’s profits often spike, by as much as 6% in one quarter during this promotion!
McDonald's has also gone digital by transferring their iconic game onto an app which has made this campaign even more accessible. While the allure of prizes is enough to keep McDonald’s customers loyal to their brand, the quick-win prizes are a guaranteed recipe to get customers coming back through their doors. By offering gated prizes that can be redeemed on their next visit (i.e. free large fries with the purchase of a burger), the company has reignited the spark of joy that comes from a trip to the golden arches.
Many brands are switching to contests and games to differentiate themselves from the competition, creating more engaging, interactive experiences that captivate users’ attention and create lasting impressions. The Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons has done this seamlessly with their Roll Up the Rim to Win contest. At its inception, Roll up the Rim was simply that - purchase a coffee, roll up the rim, and win a prize. In response to the pandemic, the company pivoted and chose to eliminate its paper cup game for a digital version. By gating the game to those who have downloaded and made an account on the Tim Hortons App only, the company has increased its brand recognition and boosted its database with a brand property on the phones of customers everywhere.
Brand recognition is crucial to remain top-of-mind to customers in a competitive market. The more familiar people are with your brand, the more likely they are to remain loyal. By adding an aspect of fun to an otherwise expensive process of advertising your business, contests and games allow customers to feel like hitting your business is hitting the jackpot!
Let’s face it. There’s no point in having a contest if you don’t promote it. It’s important to have clear goals and guidelines in place when starting a contest and making use of the tools available to you will ensure your goals are met successfully. Below are some tips to consider when starting your own contest!
Kangaroo Rewards is a customer loyalty and rewards platform that makes contests and games easy for your business to host. Kangaroo’s program provides ample ways to attract new customers to your business and keep existing customers coming back for more. With a wide range of contest automations to motivate customers to refer new customers, spend more, buy more, or sign-up for your loyalty program the possibilities are endless!
New to Kangaroo is the exciting SPIN-TO-WIN game that enables customers to spin the wheel with a chance to win prizes, discounts, and % Off, right in your store! The best part, is you decide what the prizes are and the odds of winning. Not only does this bring additional fun to your customer experience, but it provides you with enough information to target and segment customers for future marketing efforts. This method is proven to increase engagement, and brand loyalty, enhance the consumer experience, and above all - boost sales. It truly is a win-win!
It’s important to remember that customers want sugar and spice to win something nice. If you’re interested in leveling up your loyalty program, creating a contest or game could benefit your brand in a big way. With Kangaroo Loyalty Rewards, you can attract, engage, and retain customers at an affordable cost. When you start leveraging your own customer database, you’ll be amazed at the results—Kangaroo Rewards helps you engage with your customers and foster better customer experiences.
Contact us today to book a live demo and learn more about launching your customer loyalty program. For more information about our plans and pricing, visit our website.