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4 fresh ideas for new promotional mechanics

“We want a new promo mechanic” is the most common brief in Minio Studio this year. But this new mechanic must always include “register the ticket”, as clients want to make winning a prize conditional on proof of purchase. So how can you make promotions that ask the consumer to register the ticket, but at the same time be new and interesting?

The need for novelty in the marketplace is becoming increasingly acute. But anything new requires extra effort. These mechanisms can no longer be done at the last minute or with the usual investment. Often the online experience is more complex and then comes the need for an additional budget. But we can’t innovate when everything stays the same. We have to put in the effort, the time, the cost.

Idea 1: Different prizes depending on the value of the receipt

How is it now? Classic promotions say “Buy 10 lei worth” or “Buy at least 2 products.”

The usual mechanism only sets the minimum base for entry into the promotion.

Current KPI: We report the number of receipts entered.

New Mechanism: Ticket value is converted into prizes. The higher the value, the higher the prize.

Creative Example:

– You win 10 times the ticket value. The minimum entry into the promotion may be 10 lei, but if you bought 14 lei worth, you can win 140 lei, given as a voucher that replaces the default ticket.

– The value of the ticket is converted into points. This means that if you bought 10 lei worth of products, you get 10 points. At the end of the campaign, we draw the winners and they use their points to choose prizes, depending on the value they have available. The more they buy, the bigger their reward.

Logistics: Many customers are scared of not having a fixed prize value in the regulation. But this is just a habit, the legislation allows us to pass the minimum and maximum prize value, not an exact amount.

Benefits:

– Incentivizes additional consumption and increases ticket value. You are no longer motivated to buy the minimum necessary but think of a greater prize.

– It is more attractive to the consumer.

– Reduces situations where consumers split products over several tickets to have more tickets.

New KPIs: Total value of purchases registered, number of vouchers above the minimum value.

Idea 2: Select your prize the moment you register

Endowment Effect, Psychological Ownership, Loss Aversion are just some of the behavioral theories that contribute to the success of this mechanism. Once we feel attached to an object, we value it more and don’t want to lose it. That’s why homeowners who sell their homes tend to value them above market value. On a small scale, if you paid 20 lei for your coffee mug and you are offered to sell it, you wouldn’t just ask 20 lei for it, because it’s yours and you value it more. This means that if you get the consumer to attach themselves to the prize, to feel that it can be theirs, they will have an increased interest in the promotion.

How is it now? You buy and win what the trade manager has determined is of interest to you.

Current KPI: We report on the number of tickets entered, like any other promotion.

New Mechanism: You offer the experience of defining your prize.

Creative example:

– Start with the trip in the country that you usually turn into a travel voucher. Now, you can have an interactive form in which people define their vacation based on the parameters given – whether they want to go to the sea or the mountains, to the mansion, or the spa. Each personal decision about the prize makes them feel more attached to it and increases their desire to win – and therefore can increase their interest in buying. This form can also be filled in before they have a receipt to encourage them to buy.

– If you offer items, you can allow them to select their favorite item – instead of offering a kitchen mixer, the person can see 5 choices of kitchen appliances and tick the one they hope to win.

Logistics: Again, the concern arises about the value of the prizes and explaining the mechanism in the rules. But we know the value of the prizes, the prizes are predetermined. What we don’t know is the exact amount of each of them, so we will order the prizes periodically or at the end of the campaign, not take them in advance.

Benefits:

– Creating an emotional connection.

– Stimulating interest in participating (more than once).

New KPIs: In addition to the number of tickets, we can measure the number of consumers who entered multiple tickets, time spent on the site, prizes selected. These will help us to better define them in the future.

Bonus – Reducing disappointment that they lost – If the person did not win the prize they wanted, I would recommend that they receive an email with a token prize. It could be a discount voucher to the travel agency or the mixer he didn’t win. He may not convert the discount, but it will alleviate the feeling that he didn’t win and he will remain attached to the brand.

Idea 3: Anyone can win

How is it now? Prizes are awarded through random winning mechanisms.

Current KPI: How many tickets are entered.

New Mechanism: Any consumer can win, it’s up to them.

Creative example:

We create an online shop with prizes. Each ticket or numerical value represents one point. At any time during the campaign, consumers can convert those points into prizes by requesting the desired item, within the stock limit. We no longer define winners by a lucky moment or a draw, but anyone can receive a prize if they have enough points and if the items are still in stock.

Logistics: If there is a large prize, it can be awarded by a random mechanism, but otherwise we recommend several smaller prizes.

Benefits:

– Removing luck from the equation – now if you’ve bought in, it’s up to you to get a prize.

– Engagement – The consumer decides for themselves what they want to do with these points, how many points they need. It’s a good measure of the campaign’s appeal to the consumers.

New KPIs: These are not necessarily metrics, but we will be able to evaluate consumer behavior: how many turned their points into rewards, which rewards were most desired.

Idea 4: Combine and win

How is it now? You buy a certain number of products or of a certain value.

KPI: Number of tickets entered.

New Mechanism: You buy certain products and win if you find the winning combination.

Creative example:

The promotion includes 10 different SKUs. Each day, we combine two products and that is the winning combination. The consumer enters the ticket and marks which products they bought. If they bought the winning combination, they win the prize on the spot.

Logistics: Everyone who enters the tickets after the combination has already been matched will be entered into the draw for the grand prize. You can allow them to enter the same ticket more than once, in the hope that the products purchased are the winning combination on another day.

Benefits:

– You feel like it’s also up to you to win, it’s not just luck.

– Increases competitiveness and interest in the purchase. It’s a mechanic suitable for consumer products – it certainly doesn’t lend itself to expensive products.

New KPIs: Number of products in each SKU purchased, most common customer product combinations.

 

Each of these ideas has good creative potential and can be communicated in an interesting way that grabs the consumer’s attention. It’s important to keep in mind that people don’t buy because of mechanics or rewards – these factors matter, of course, but don’t rely on them alone! The promotion needs to tell a story, be visible online and in-store.

If you’d like to have better promotional campaigns, you can email me at ioana.mucenic@minio.ro.

 

Source: Revista Progresiv