Gamification And Customer Engagement It Just Works

This is how I know.  I used a gamification tool to see if I could attract potential clients and to my amazement it did.  I attended the 2023 North Coast Wine Industry Expo (WIN Expo) and wanted to determine if gamification would improve customer engagement.  And through the process would they share their contact information and they did.  

At trade shows vendors have a host of small tchotchkes at their booth in hopes of attracting visitors.  It’s pretty much an unwritten tradeshow standard.  Everyone knows that without a giveaway no one is coming over to see you.  And the bigger the tchotchke the more people will stop by, grab one and they may take two more for a friend.    

So you gave something away but did you get anything?  At a tradeshow most of the time you get a smile and a thank you.  Well at least you may get some brand recognition.  But what if you changed it up with a game to attract them and they got something and so do you.  I wondered the same thing so I gave it a try.  

Here’s what I did and it was just plain simple.  I was able to get people to engage me and they shared their information.  It was simple and effective.  This is what I did.  I subscribed to the “Wheel”  https://twheel.socialnetgate.com/.  It’s a digital wheel that spins, people enter and one wins a prize. Pretty simple.  To enter they scan a QR code, sending a text from their phone, done there in the game. The wheel automatically spins at a specific time and the winner is automatically notified.  I gave away a $100 Amazon gift card.  Not a bad incentive.  

It was a win for me.  I ended up with the phone numbers of the people who entered.  From what I found at trade shows for the most part people tend to look at these as safe zones and are more likely to scan a QR code than if a giveaway is at some random public place.  I was asked only once if I shared their information, my response was no, which I don't.  But I could use their phone number to engage them or at least message them with a thank you for entering.  Or ask them to subscribe to my blog, or take a survey.  If you do ask for more information it's always a good idea to give them something for asking, like perhaps entry into another giveaway.  

What I found was that people were for the most part comfortable scanning the QR code.  The prize of a $100 Amazon gift card was an attractive offer.  

I also set placards with the QR code at unmanned stations throughout the event.  And people scanned the QR code without me engaging them.  Seems to prove the theory that people who attend a trade show look at them as safe zones.       

Here's another plus with the “Wheel”.  Once the QR code is scanned and the text auto sent by the user they have opted in.  Texting rules have changed.  The FCC requires users to opt in prior to receiving any text messaging.  As a business if you send unsolicited texts without the user opting in you have broken the FCC law and could face fines and or termination of your phone number.     

Scanning is now a thing.  Scanning a QR code used to be taboo but the pandemic changed all that.  In the US scanning a QR code is now pretty commonplace.  I'm sure you remember going into a restaurant during the pandemic and not finding a menu on your table.  In its place was a QR code you had to scan to see one.  Don’t get me wrong, you still need to be aware of what you scan, just be smart about it.    

And The Winner is 

In summary I found that using a gamified way to engage people worked better than anticipated. A big plus of using the wheel is there is no mobile app, it's all text messaging message links.  It's a win-win, it's a simple, fun way to engage people with the bonus of reconnecting with the participants.

Steve Knaebel, President, Redtie. Have questions please message me at steve@getredtie.com