Are you planning an in-store contest or consumer promotion for your brand?
Our retail promotions specialists review some of the contesting best practices that have helped popular CPG brands create relevance and drive action with consumers.
In-Store Contesting Best Practices
When it comes to in-store contesting, simplicity will take you a long way. One of the most frustrating things you can do to your potential consumers who are trying to participate in your giveaway is make them jump through too many hoops to enter.
We recommend a simple gated entry. Essentially, participants will always be required to do something to enter your in-store contest, but it should be straightforward and not entail significant effort on their part.
Keep your contest marketing creative and captivating – something that jumps off the shelf to capture their attention. But keep the rules and ways to win straightforward enough that consumers are encouraged to participate and confident that their initial output is well worth the potential benefits of winning.
Consider other attention-grabbing tactics like Shelf Talkers. These informational strips can draw your customer’s attention at the point of sale on the shelf and encourage them to enter the contest.
Two In-Store Contest Entry Methods that Work
There are two popular types of consumer promotion contests that CPG brands use in-store to motivate action from consumers: QR scans and text-to-win.
Contest Marketing Tactic #1: QR Scans
When it comes to in-store contesting, QR scans are an easy way to get consumers to learn more about entering. This method involves your target audience scanning a QR code with a smartphone camera – this will directly link them to the landing page for your contest.
QR codes are becoming an increasingly important tool in marketing. According to Statista, an estimated 11 million households will scan a QR code in 2021 alone. This figure represents a significant jump from the 9.76 million scanned in 2018.
If you intend to use this option, be sure to use dynamic QR codes that can be updated at any time. This will prevent you from having products on the shelf with outdated contest links or information!
Contest Marketing Tactic #2: Text-To-Win
These types of contests require you to text a specific short code to a three or four-digit number. You can opt for the text message to count as the entry method, but perhaps a better choice is to respond to a link that requires them to provide additional information.
This will allow for more qualified data collection. When the user receives the link, they can enter things like their name and email to complete their entry method.
Capitalize on the data you collect, but, once again, keep it simple! If your form is too long, customers may not follow through with participating in your giveaway. In all your marketing campaigns, do your best to eliminate any friction between the campaign and the consumer.
Contesting Database Capture & Retargeting
As a best practice, contesting database capture and retargeting is a vital step to get the most out of your in-store promotions. Collect the opt-ins on entry forms and use this information to develop a carefully segmented database of customers – then follow-up with them using relevant marketing materials, promotional codes or other engaging content.
Our clients have seen that their target shoppers are willing to provide their information to get a good, relevant deal. Use this to your advantage and collect pertinent information that can help you segment your lists and retarget your ads.
As your brand continues to collect data based on your consumer promotions, you’ll grow your reach with each strategic campaign, ensuring more relevant results every time.
Partner with Contest Marketing Experts
To get the most out of your retail contest investment, partner with a contest marketing agency who has experienced specialists you can trust to build your strategy and manage execution.
