We’re in an interesting and difficult time for our centres. While we need to support retailers and keep foot traffic coming in, we also need to balance it without looking like we’re recommending customers ignore social distancing advice.
The app can be an effective tool to achieve this balance and show support for your retailers in the short term, and really driving stabilisation once we return to normal.
Now is a good time to engage your retailers and fill your app with plenty of amazing offers. Retailers are hurting and will be receptive to offering what they can to drive a sale. An attractive retail offer from a wide cross-section of retailers is an effective way to entice customers in, and in a non-crowd creating fashion. It will show retailers you are supporting them and sending dollars into their stores.
Push notifications. Keep you loyalty members up to date and let them know you are trading as usual. Remind them of the great offers.
Run a competition with an attractive prize. Set this as a ‘cost points’ to enter, unlimited entries. This will ensure customers are still interacting with your app and centre brand, even though they may be temporarily keeping distance from your physical space.
Use social media to push the offers and competition to your target audience. Set up paid ads targeting your primary and secondary trade areas. Driving loyalty numbers up while trade is down will give you an even better launch pad to promote the centre post coronavirus.
Bonus points. Run bonus points for the duration of the downturn as added incentive to visit.
Consider an out of centre scratch and win. Create a scratch and win campaign and create a retailer ‘external campaign”. Download and send this QR code to customers via email. Set the scratch and win campaign and set it to the ‘external campaign’ retailers. Customers can then scan the QR code at home once a day for a chance to win. Prizes can be free coffees through to centre gift cards, tailor this to your demographic.
Augmented Reality. If you have an AR campaign planned through the app for Christmas, we can send you digital or pdf versions on the image markers to make available online. Customers can do these at home, be immersed in your brand, and revisit the centre to collect their prize when they are ready to do so.
If you’d like any further support or ideas on how your app can support you during and after the coronavirus crisis please contact us - we are here to help.