Over 10,000 shoppers and 40 retailers participated in our location-based sms coupon trial at Highpoint Shopping Centre.
How it Worked
For Shoppers
Highpoint customers were given a mo charm which they then activated by sending a unique code via SMS.
Upon activating they could scan that charm at any of the 14 display screens placed around the centre. Every day that they scanned would give them an entry into a prize draw. A $3000 shopping spree, iPods, Concert Tickets, Travel and a $2000 Christmas Hamper were just some of the prizes won by lucky mo users.
After scanning they would also receive 3 special offers via SMS, on the mobile phone the shopper used to register the charm. These would include discounts, free gifts and other special deals from any of the participating retailers. There was also a “Reward Question” which, if answered, would give the shopper another entry into the prize draw.
Offers were only sent to those shoppers who scanned their mo charms, thereby asking to receive their daily offers. This meant shoppers did not receive unwanted advertising.
If a shopper redeemed an offer, or recorded a purchase at any of the participating retailers, they would earn yet another entry into the prize draw.
The best part was that mo was free for all shoppers to use - so with all these benefits it is no surprise that over 10,000 shoppers wanted to get in on the action.
For Retailers
Retailers were asked to provide exclusive offers for mo shoppers. They were allocated a certain amount of messages which could be sent to shoppers according to the retailer’s specifications. They were also given a mo-terminal with which to record customer redemptions and purchases. When redeeming an offer the customer would scan their charm in store, both validating the offer and recording the usage.
Because these offers were only sent to shoppers who requested them by scanning the wastage which can occur with other styles of advertising was dramatically reduced.
The “Reward Question” which shoppers answered enabled mo to collect demographic data and build shopper profiles. This information was made available to participating retailers.
This information also meant that Retailers could specifically target certain demographic groups such as age ranges, genders, families.
Retailers were also able to target by location, for example a retailer on the lower level who wants to attract people from level 2 or 3 and could distribute that offer only throughout those areas, or offer a greater incentive for shoppers who have to go further to get to their store.
The Results
Over 153,000 offers were sent out to mo shoppers during the Highpoint trial.
During this time mo was able to offer Highpoint Shopping Centre and its retailers valuable insight into shopper demographics and behaviour. Some of the main findings during the trial were:
- More shoppers scanned their charms on Thusdays and Fridays than on Saturdays and Sundays, possibly indicating greater foot traffic on those days.
- 39% of respondents had children under 15 years of age.
- 82% of respondents believe shopping is a recreational activity.
All of this information could be used to benefit the retailers and the centre itself by allowing them to effectively market themselves to their customers.
The mo rewards program also became a valuable tool for the Highpoint Marketing Department who used mo to promote VIP shopping days by offering free gifts to mo shoppers as well as running joint competitions.
Let’s not forget that Me-Mo, our friendly and fuzzy mo mascot, was also present at Christmas parades, Kids’ Breakfasts and for School Holiday fun.
