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A common struggle with loyalty programs is that it takes customers too long to earn enough points to redeem.&nbsp;



As a consequence, customers lose interest quickly.



By using gamification elements to support your loyalty schemes, you can speed up the whole process whilst keeping customers on the hook.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-gamification-works">Why gamification works</h2>



Gamification adds a fun element to a loyalty scheme. The concept behind it leans heavily into our competitive spirit and reward-seeking behaviour.&nbsp;



Here are 4 reasons for implementing gamification:&nbsp;



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Keep customers engaged and interested. Customers earn extra points as a top-up, quite often these are linked to instant rewards.</li>



<li>Increase brand awareness. It encourages customers to interact with your brand more often.</li>



<li>Get more customer data. Customers spread the word when they have fun, which will lead to a snowball effect.</li>



<li>Attract a wider range of customers. Gamification is ideal if you want to bring in younger generations.</li>
</ul>



To help you get started, we’ve gathered 5 gamification ideas. These will power up your loyalty scheme to keep customers thrilled.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5 engaging gamification ideas for your loyalty scheme</h2>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1. Gamification Challenges</h4>



A limited timeframe with the chance to win something exciting hypes customers up to take part.



Monthly or seasonal challenges are probably the most cost- and time-efficient gamification tool for your loyalty scheme to boost interaction.



Simple examples:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Online quizzes</li>



<li>Guessing games</li>



<li>Tag &amp; share challenges</li>
</ul>



Advanced examples:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>DIY competition &#8211; ‘Create our new Summer cocktail’</li>



<li>Creative competition &#8211; ‘Name our new [menu item]’</li>



<li>Seasonal challenges &#8211; i.e. dress up for Halloween</li>
</ul>



Tip: Online challenges are great database growth boosters so make sure to ask customers for their contact details upon entering.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">2. Online &amp; in-venue games</h4>



This gamification concept connects both offline and online customer interaction.



Treasure hunts are ideal for this, where customers have to look for clues on your socials, website as well as in-venue.



Tip: Whilst they are searching, you get the chance to introduce customers to other offerings or venues you might have.



Additionally, if you want to boost quieter times during the day, try a ‘secret code word share’ via your socials. When mentioning the code in the venue customers get a freebie or discount.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">3. Badges, awards &amp; leaderboards</h4>



The most widely used advanced gamification loyalty scheme examples are badges, awards and leaderboards.&nbsp;



Customers get awarded for different interactions or milestones reached. Rewards usually go beyond in-venue and/or online transactions. You can incentivise actions such as completing an online profile, engaging on social media or leaving a review.



What makes these types so effective is it gives customers something to work towards. Plus, they can also compare their performance to others.



<a href="https://www.brewdog.com/uk/beer-visa">Brew Dog’s Beer Visa</a> is a great example of this type of gamification. Customers get a stamp for visiting every bar in one location, once completed they receive a special pin badge.



Tip: Leaderboards make it easy to spot your most loyal and engaged customers.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">4. Tiered membership levels</h4>



A tiered membership scheme encourages customers to spend and engage more with your business in order to move up the rank.



Each tier comes with benefits that increase in value to make the whole brand experience more exclusive and personalised.&nbsp;



Another big benefit of tiered loyalty is that you can build highly targeted segments from those tiers and use them for personalised email campaigns.



Well-known industry examples are <a href="https://www.starbucks.co.uk/rewards">Starbucks</a> and <a href="https://www.pizzaexpress.com/club">PizzaExpress</a>.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">5. Mini online games</h4>



No doubt, online arcade-style games are highly engaging and addictive but they also require some sort of app integration. This ultimately places them at the higher end when it comes to implementing gamification.



A successful example is KFC’s recently launched new loyalty app <a href="https://www.kfc.co.uk/kfc-rewards-arcade">“Rewards Arcade”</a>. Customers get the chance to play after each purchase and get instant ‘free food’ rewards.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Make sure to check out our <a href="https://stampede.ai/downloads/8-tactics-to-increase-customer-spend">FREE Loyalty Guide</a> to learn more about the different types of loyalty programs and how they can help you to increase customer spend.

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5 Gamification Ideas To Take Your Loyalty Scheme To The Next Level

When&nbsp;operating multiple hospitality venues, quite often your customers’ loyalty is restricted to one of your venues only. Chances are your customers are simply not aware that you’re managing more than one venue. Though, what if you could&nbsp;extend their loyalty to all your venues&nbsp;and by doing so increase their overall spending?



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



Here’s how you can&nbsp;cross-promote your venues&nbsp;using our simple 5 step recipe for personalised marketing.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">1) The Data</h5>



For this cross-venue promotion campaign, you want to find out more about&nbsp;how customers have interacted across your venues. Sort your data by individual venues for a better comparison.



The data you need can be obtained from different sources:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Last WiFi login from your captive portal/guest WiFi</li><li>Last booking made from booking system</li><li>Last stamp/interaction from loyalty scheme</li><li>Latest reviews from different platforms</li></ul>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">2) The Trigger Event</h5>



There’re various trigger events that you can set up here. Use&nbsp;this campaign for your regular customers but also to retain those who haven’t been at your venue for a while.



Possible trigger events:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Is a one time-visitor</li><li>Is a regular customer but has only been in one venue</li><li>Has not visited for a while</li><li>Is a user of your loyalty scheme (active and non-active)</li><li>Has recently left a positive review</li></ul>



Make sure to set up&nbsp;automated triggers&nbsp;as well to save some time.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">3) The Messaging</h5>



Take the chance to&nbsp;introduce your full brand portfolio&nbsp;and highlight what makes venues different from each other. Also, emphasise that customers can expect the same level of outstanding customer experience across.



Besides, this campaign is ideal for&nbsp;cross-event promotions to boost bookings&nbsp;and get customers coming back on a frequent basis. You can also use it to promote quieter times in one venue to spread your bookings more evenly.



And don’t forget to link to your individual venues and to include a booking call-to-action for each of them.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">4) The Offer</h5>



Offers and deals should be part of your campaign here. This could for example be an&nbsp;introductory offer&nbsp;for customers to try your other venues, like a ‘%-off first visit’ or a ‘drink for free’.&nbsp;



For your cross-event promotions, you might also include an&nbsp;early-bird deal&nbsp;targeted at your loyal customers.



Here’s what your email could include:



Subject line &#8211; [Name], check out our [venue] and get %-off your first visit



Fancy a [venue special]? We’ve got you covered at our [venue]. /



As a [item] lover you have to check out our exclusive range of [item] at [venue]. /



Glad you’ve enjoyed your visit at [venue], why not check out our other [venues]?



Come by and get %-off your first visit. / Your first drink is on us!



DON’T MISS OUT &#8211; BOOK NOW



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-the-outcome">5) The Outcome</h5>



First and foremost this cross-venue promotion campaign will help you to&nbsp;increase the number of visits per customer across all venues. And of course, more footfall and event bookings ultimately lead to more revenue.



Be sure to have a read of our&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/resources/cru-holdings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CRU holdings case study</a>&nbsp;to find out how a cross-venue promotion campaign has worked out for them.&nbsp;



And don’t miss the last part of this series on how our 5 step recipe can help you to foster brand advocacy.



Need help sending out your first cross-venue promotions?&nbsp;<a href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get in touch</a>&nbsp;with one of our team who are happy to run you our marketing product.

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