Year: 2017

Download Shopkick for a Chance to Win a $100 Walmart Gift Card!

Posted on by Kick Writers

‘Tis the season for spending and Shopkick wants to help you out with all those holiday gifts!

Download the app to earn free gift cards to Walmart, Amazon, Starbucks and more while you shop so you can put a little more toward the people on your list, or even save a little something extra for yourself.

Plus, enter now for the chance to win a $100 Walmart gift card when you download!

 

Holiday Shopkicking Sweepstakes

How it works:

  1. Earn reward points (kicks) in-store when you walk in, scan, or make a purchase at your favorite stores including Walmart, Target, Best Buy, T.J. Maxx and more!
  2. Earn kicks for shopping with our online partners, such as Amazon, Walmart.com, and eBay!
  3. Cash in your kicks and reap the rewards! Treat yourself or your friends with gift cards for Walmart, Starbucks, Amazon, Sephora, anad many, many more!

 

app screens in shopkick app

 

So, what will you do with your first gift card?

Posted in b2c

Amazon and Shopkick team up to deliver a prime experience

Posted on by Kick Writers

Amazon addicts, rejoice! There’s one gift that’s come early this year: Amazon.com has arrived on Shopkick. Get kicks for shopping special categories on Amazon through Shopkick — and turn those kicks into more rewards and awesome gift cards! Check out Amazon fashion, devices, and more on the Shopkick app.

 

Get decked out with Amazon Fashion

This holiday season, look no further than Amazon Fashion, a one-stop destination for head-to-toe style. Amazon brings the fitting room to you: trying on clothes, accessories, and more on at home – and sending them back – is easy with free shipping and free returns on eligible items. Plus, their ratings and reviews come make it easy to decide it you should order.
Amazon Fashion in Shopkick
Amazon Fashion in Shopkick app

“Alexa, make this the best holiday ever!”

Get kicks for this season’s hottest Amazon devices. Amazon has devices for everything from streaming video on the Fire Stick, to setting up your smart home with Alexa and Echo Dots. These devices make it easy to instantly play music, make calls, set timers, ask questions, and control your smart home, all by using your voice.

Amazon offers free 2-day shipping for millions of items to its Prime Members. Not a Prime member yet? Shopkickers are in luck! When you purchase a new 12-month subscription through the app you’ll earn a $20 Amazon Gift Card from Shopkick. In addition to the free 2-day shipping and everyday Lightning Deals — you’ll fall in love with instant access to tens of thousands of movies and TV shows.

This newest addition to Shopkick could not come at a better time with the holiday season fast approaching. Earn kicks when you buy gifts on Amazon.com for the family, then redeem your kicks for Amazon gift cards for the holidays!

How it works

Follow these steps to start earning your free gift cards while getting the best deals on Amazon.com:

1. Download the Shopkick app
2. Find Amazon.com under online stores
3. Shop to your heart’s content

Get started

What are you waiting for? Earn your kicks now to reward yourself! Download the app here.

Happy Shopkicking!

Best Buy rewards programs: How to sign up using a smartphone app

Posted on by Kick Writers

If you’re a techie like me, you know that the “it” devices and technology change fast. The tech we’re dying to get our hands on today—iPhone X, Nintendo Switches, and 4K TVs—is likely going to be obsolete tomorrow (ahem, VHS, cassettes, and even DVDs…) One thing, however, I predict will stay the same: Best Buy has always been the store to go to buy the latest tech.

best buy customer rewards programI used to beg my parents to take me there as a kid, mostly so I could look at the latest N64 and PlayStation games. Then, when I got older, I was more interested in checking out CDs and DVDs, back when those were still things. Nowadays, I’m all about the home theater hookups and mobile devices. I’ll spend hours playing with tablets and new phones before spending even more hours having my eyes and ears blasted in what I like to call Best Buy’s “Home Theater Cave-o-Rama,” which they always have in the back of the store.

These are not just innocent browsing trips, though, I must confess. No, I also spend quite a bit of money at Best Buy. I even spent a summer working there in college just so I could take advantage of their sweet employee discount. This is the only job I’ve ever had that actually cost me money.

These days, however, I’ve become a bit savvier with my spending habits and fancy myself an expert on all the rewards programs at Best Buy that can save a techie guy like me some sweet, sweet cash. There are a couple of Best Buy rewards program apps that have become my sidekicks for earning free gift cards when I’m in the store. One of them is the My Best Buy Program and the other is a shopping rewards app. Together, they both help me get to a magical paradise where you can lock down all the sweetest new tech without completely draining your bank account.

Enough with the chit-chat, though. It’s time for me to let you in on my favorite rewards programs at Best Buy. WARNING: this could lead to you spending hours with me back in the home theater cave, sitting on the comfy leather couches there and sampling the incredible new surround sound tech! Oh, and did I mention you can sign up for these Best Buy rewards programs using a smartphone app? Uh huh, it’s that easy—and techie.

My Best Buy: A Techie’s Dream of a Rewards Program

I generally go to Best Buy with my crew, which is not an actual crew of people, mind you, but a couple of free mobile apps that help me get the best possible rewards for my purchases. The requirements to join my Best Buy shopping crew are pretty minimal:

  • Be a cool friend by saving me money and earning me points for the stuff I buy: This one is super simple. The rewards program just has to provide value for me by saving me money or helping me earn rewards worth cash. Easy.
  • Be an even cooler friend by always being there for me: The ideal rewards program for Best Buy is one I can always access through a mobile app when I’m in the store.

The My Best Buy rewards program app does both of these things. The value it provides is pretty diverse, but here are some examples:

  • My Best Buy Reward Certificates: I get a $25 certificate that is as good as cash at Best Buy whenever I purchase and activate an additional smartphone, add a new line to an account, or purchase and activate a new line on a new account.
  • My Best Buy Gamers Club: Membership to this club gets me 20% off new video games, including pre-orders, plus an additional 10% off used video games.
  • My Best Buy Offers: By participating in My Best Buy, I also get emails with personalized offers on all the latest tech. It’s an invaluable set up for the rare times when I get too busy with life to keep up with new tech offers on my own.

And, of course, I can access the My Best Buy rewards program through their simple mobile app. Very cool—and uber convenient!

Shopkick: A Must-Know Rewards Program Shopping App for Best Buy Lovers

The My Best Buy rewards program really is a solid pal, but my shopping best mate is an easy-to-use app called Shopkick. How Shopkick works is that you walk into a Best Buy and Shopkick gives you points, called kicks. You look for scannable products that are updated to the app each weekend and Shopkick gives you some more points. You share a QR code from the Shopkick app with the cashier when you buy something, and—that’s right!—Shopkick gives you points, points, points. You can then trade these points in for gift cards to Best Buy, or tons of other stores.

With Shopkick, I basically get a free gift card on every trip to Best Buy.

With Shopkick, I basically get a free gift card on every trip to Best Buy. It’s cool, too, because in my crew, the Shopkick app is the friend who wants to keep hanging out even after we leave Best Buy. I can use it to get paid to grocery shop, when I buy things online, or even when I go to Target. And my wife likes it, too, because she says it has let her ditch multiple rewards program cards for a user-friendly and fun app. It also works in tandem with all the great benefits from the My Best Buy program! I honestly can’t imagine shopping at Best Buy these days without it.

I think you now have all the info you need to start your own Best Buy shopping crew, which, let’s be real, is basically just you and these excellent Best Buy mobile rewards programs. But that’s all you need to start collecting on savings and sweet gift card rewards when you buy the latest tech. I hope I see you out there at Best Buy, testing the photo quality on new phones and hunting down that weekend’s Shopkick items to scan. I probably won’t say hi (there’s too much else to do at Best Buy), but we can definitely do the what’s up, man respectful head nod.

Get to know one of the best apps to get rewarded for shopping at Best Buy—and tons of other stores, too. Download Shopkick’s free app today and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how much you can earn with the help of a free shopping sidekick.

And, if you’re on social media catching up with friends, be sure to also join Shopkick on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for a little daily fun and inspiration.

Image courtesy Heatray

Posted in b2c

Retail consumer apps: How to engage in-store shoppers on mobile devices

Posted on by Kick Writers

Many retailers view mobile apps only as an expansion of their online shopping space, and not as a route to in-store sales. This is a mistake. By their very nature, consumers use apps while on the go and, more often than many retailers believe, they’re using them for in-store shopping. When you’re evaluating which features to offer consumers within a retail app, you must think beyond online shopping. You must connect current consumer retail app technology to a physical, brick and mortar shopping experience.

retail apps for consumersIn order to evolve along with the modern shopper, retailers must be ready to acknowledge and capitalize on the fact that mobile shopping is only one component of the consumer retail app experience. Any brand can build an mCommerce space. However, innovative retail mobile apps have additional success when they’re designed to work in-store, traveling with the consumers as they visit brick and mortar locations.

Retail companies, then, need a thorough understanding of exactly what these users are looking for—and must be prepared to deliver it, either via a branded, proprietary option or by partnering with an established third-party shopping app.  

What Retail Consumer Apps Must Offer In-Store Shoppers

Retailers need to take a consumer first approach to retail app development as adoption is key in order to achieve a return on investment for your marketing dollars. Consumers generally prefer retail shopping apps that:

  • Provide convenience: Convenience is the main reason that consumers use apps. In fact, the majority of consumers, 60%, will choose an app over a store’s website. This is because they’re using the app as they’re out and about and smartphone apps, unlike many websites, are designed to cater specifically to mobile device users.
  • Create a connection: 48% of smartphone users say apps strengthen the brand connection when they feel like the app caters to their specific and individual needs. Consumers want shopping apps to feel like their personal concierge service; i.e. that the app guides them and tells them what they need to know about the retail store and its brands as applies to them, thus creating a connection.  
  • Offer in-store options: About 77% of smartphone users have used their devices to help them shop while they’re in the seemingly endless retail aisles. Creating an in-store experience via a mobile app is a key factor in encouraging consumer use.
  • A memorable customer experience: If the consumer using the retail app runs into an issue with the technology more than once, about 54% will delete it. Meanwhile, 21% will seek out an app with similar functionality to replace it with. That means you have a very small window of opportunity when it comes to keeping consumers loyal to your app.

One thing that should be noted about all these attributes and features is that most consumers are not loyal to a specific retailer’s app. A retailer can use a third-party option and get the same results, provided that third-party app offers a positive, engaging, and somewhat personalized experience. In fact, a third-party app may even provide more opportunities than a branded app.  

Why Retail Stores Are Partnering With Third-Party Shopping Apps

Creating a retail consumer app that combines all of the functionality and features that consumers demand is often an arduous and expensive process. However, partnering with a third-party shopping app can allow you to leverage all of the advantages of offering a retail app while minimizing your expenses. In addition, these shopping apps offer a few benefits that branded retail in-store apps can’t, including:

  • A wider audience: If your current target audience is already using your branded store app, they’re included in your current market share as well. However, by partnering with a third-party shopping app, you can expand that target audience—and, therefore, your market share—by gaining access to consumers who may not yet be regular or loyal shoppers.
  • Fast innovation: While retailers develop apps as a single component of their marketing campaign, app development companies have a singular focus. They are, therefore, in a position to take advantage of technological innovations, like smarter beacons and cross-platform functionality, much faster than companies who aren’t at the forefront of new technology.
  • Incentivizing without discounting: Third-party shopping apps often gain consumer interest by offering rewards. This allows their partner brands to gain in-store attention without having to discount their products. Retail apps, on the other hand, are often designed around promotions and discounts as a means of gaining buyer engagement. That’s a costly strategy that hurts ROI and the company’s bottom line.

Third-party shopping apps leverage the opportunities that mobile advertising provides without forcing individual retailers to develop and attract an audience for a branded, niche app. If you choose to partner with an existing shopping app that offers high engagement rates, you can reach out to a new group of consumers while seamlessly offering them exactly what they’re looking for—convenience and personalization.

When you’re using a retail consumer app to grow your market share, increase brand awareness, or build your company’s reputation, you need to maintain a focus on user experience, something that is automatic when you partner with a popular third-party option already established on the market. If consumers are actively engaged with the app to assist them as they shop, you are guaranteed an opportunity to travel with them into stores—and reach them when it matters most.

Shopkick offers their partners a shopping app platform for reaching customers with proven ROI—their active user base is proof of the effectiveness of their strategy. If you want to learn more about partnering with a third-party shopping app, and what it can do for your brand, contact the Shopkick team today.

Image courtesy gstockstudio

Posted in b2b

The best rewards program for shopping at Walmart

Posted on by Kick Writers

Growing up, my mom was the family referee, breaking up fights between me and my siblings — usually with a good lecture at the end, reminding us that family is everything. Now, as a mom of three boys, I totally get it. But I’ve added my own twist: family — and Walmart — will always have your back. 

 

Why Walmart? Because my local store is basically open all the time, ready for everything — from last-minute school project supplies to groceries for a bake sale or cleaning supplies for our new puppy. Plus, Walmart’s prices are always a win.

 

But here’s the real game-changer: Walmart offers ways to stretch your budget even further. I’ve been racking up rewards and savings that add up fast — and make shopping feel less like a chore and more like a win. 

 

Walmart+ — Everyday Savings With Built-In Perks 

Think of Walmart+ as a membership that pays you back. For a monthly or annual fee, you unlock free delivery from your store, fuel discounts at participating gas stations, mobile Scan & Go, and access to early product drops. 

 

For my family, the free grocery delivery is huge — especially on those chaotic weeks when someone’s got practice, another has a school project due, and I’m still trying to get dinner on the table 

 

Cash Back With Ibotta — Automatic Rewards on Essentials 

If you’re into cash back apps, Walmart partners directly with Ibotta to make saving effortless. You can link your Walmart account, shop like usual, and earn real cash back on tons of everyday products. No scanning receipts, no juggling extra steps. Just savings that land straight in your Ibotta account. 

 

It’s like finding a few extra dollars in your jeans pocket every week — only better, because you can plan around it. 

 

Shopkick: My Favorite Way to Earn Rewards at Walmart—All Year Round

Now, the real MVP is Shopkick. This app lets me earn points (called kicks) just for walking into Walmart, scanning product barcodes, and making purchases — online or in-store. Then I trade kicks for gift cards to tons of popular stores. 

 

Shopkick makes grocery shopping feel like a fun scavenger hunt, and I’m obsessed. Plus, their social media game is strong — I spend way too much time laughing and swapping memes with fellow Shopkickers. 

 

Ready to start earning rewards every time you shop at Walmart?

Download the free Shopkick app and join the fun! And if you love shopping and social media as much as I do, follow Shopkick on Facebook and Instagram (@shopkick) for daily deals, laughs, and inspiration. 

The Best Customer Engagement Strategies in Retail for CPG Brands

Posted on by Kick Writers

The Best Customer Engagement Strategies in Retail for CPG Brands

Many CPG brands, new and established, struggle with standing out on a retailer’s shelves. The CPG industry is going through a rapid growth phase and is estimated to be worth around $14 trillion by 2025, up from $8 trillion in 2015. That equates to more brands clamoring for limited consumer attention. And, when it comes to brick and mortar retail, they’re doing it all in the same aisle. However, your brand can gain the edge on your competitors by using mobile to help steer customers to your products both online and offline.

In the digital age, smartphones are your best connection to your customers. A successful customer engagement strategy in the retail space involves leveraging mobile opportunities not only for online sales, but for customers who are browsing the retail aisles as well. You can use mobile marketing to connect, build powerful moments, and help your brand stand out in a sea of competitors.

Now is the time to boost your CPG brand’s customer engagement  using technology that lets you travel with consumers, whether you’re sending a personalized message, responding to customers via social media, or using micro-moments to create brand recognition. The agility of smartphones to move with consumers can help you create a connection with your target market of existing and new customers—and help to guard your market share as the CPG industry continues to expand.

Perfecting Personalized Customer Communications as an Engagement Strategy

The fact that personalization is a major sales driver for consumers is no secret. In fact, 70% of companies consider personalization their top priority in 2017—and it’s likely that number will only increase in 2018. But what is personalization, exactly?

There’s a fine line between using a customer’s data to give him or her a positive and unique experience, and using that data in a way that a customer will find invasive. On top of that, in-store personalization means that you have to effectively use that data quickly, to both recognize the customer’s needs and then offer them an option to meet those needs in the short moments before they make a purchase decision.

One brilliant campaign from Snickers encompassed all the best parts of personalized advertising. The company monitored Twitter posts based on emojis. The higher the uptick in negative emotion emojis across the platform, the lower the brand dropped the price of a Snickers bar at select 7-11 locations. Consumers following the brand could then lock in a low price via their smartphones for the next time they bought a Snickers at a participating store.

This was a clever campaign that also tied into its television commercial slogan, “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” This was another successful aspect of Snickers’ strategy: they aligned their mobile campaign to their television and print campaigns as well. Then, they took this strategy a step further by using it to personalize messages to consumers who posted a negative emoji and offer them a discounted price on a Snickers bar in order to improve their mood. The campaign used freely available data to reach out to consumers, but made sure to walk the right side of the line when it comes to personalization without privacy invasion.

The Key Takeaways:

Use data consumers freely give away:

The key to Snickers’ successful campaign was that they used publicly available data that consumers chose to share. They simply looked at the emojis consumers used on social media to measure their mood. The use of that data wasn’t invasive. Instead, consumers felt as though Snickers was listening to them. Permissive use is crucial when leveraging consumers’ data to make a personalized recommendation. Social media, purchase history, and data that consumers opt to share with apps can be a great way to permissively gather information.

Don’t make assumptions:

There’s a difference between using a customer’s prior purchase history to make an assumption versus using it to guide your suggestions. For example, if a customer previously purchased a gluten-free frozen meal, it may be safe to recommend another gluten-free product. However, if a customer bought a home pregnancy test, you should not assume they would be interested in a coupon for diapers. One is a suggestion based on a prior purchase. The other is an assumption that companies should steer clear of. Personalize the message by using it to guide messages, but don’t jump to conclusions.

Make Magic With Micro-Moments

Micro-moments are those short instances when a person turns to their phone for information. 82% of smartphone users say they consult their phones on purchases they’re about to make in a store. One way to make an impact in those micro-moments is to use the personalization recommendation mentioned above and tie it into that mobile interaction.

This is what Pantene did when it teamed up with a popular weather app to provide hair styling advice to consumers. When the weather app indicated that the humidity had reached a certain level, Pantene would recommend products designed to keep hair under control in those conditions. They would explain why humidity caused hair to fall flat and recommend their own products to combat the problem. This allowed the company to leverage their very specific product focus and knowledge to gain the attention of the right target audience in immediate need of their offerings.

There’s a reason why 48% of smartphone users are more likely to buy from companies whose mobile sites provide instructional video content: those companies have proven themselves to be experts in their industry. Consumers trust them, so they purchase from them more confidently and regularly. Through their personalized micro-moment campaign, Pantene was able to gain a 10% increase in sales and secure a top position in the highly competitive beauty market.

The Key Takeaways:

Recognize the consumer’s problem:

When a consumer buys a product from a CPG brand, they’re generally doing so to fill a specific need or solve a problem. Pantene recognized the impact that humidity had on hair and used weather apps to deliver messages about how to combat the problem.

Use your knowledge:

Every CPG brand has an area where they consider themselves to be an industry expert. Using that knowledge to answer consumers’ questions can be a successful way to create a micro-moment that leads to consumer trust and loyalty.

Make use of beacons:

Pantene used sensor beacons located in Walgreens stores to notify them when consumers entered and then offer them information on a Pantene hair product that would help them combat humidity. As they were able to reach out as soon as the customers walked through the doors, they were able to direct those customers straight to their aisle in the store with little distraction.

Offer Social Customer Service to Help Engage Retail Consumers

Customer service is no longer tied to customer hotlines or even to email. Now, consumers ask questions and file complaints in full view of the public via social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Due to this fact, about 81% of companies integrate social customer service in some way. This allows companies to be transparent in their dealings with customers, which also leads to engaging with them in-store. In a study, it was found that 10% of all tweets directed at a CPG company occurred while the customer was in-store.

Duncan Hines is one of the strongest performing CPG brands using a social media strategy today. The company strategically focused on gaining user-generated content, such as photos of creations made with Duncan Hines products. They even went so far as to offer suggestions to consumers via social media while they were in the store looking for baking inspiration.

Since the company has made its commitment to engaging customers via social media, Duncan Hines now generates more mentions than any other CPG brand on Facebook. This is in large part due to the fact that they like and comment on posts that mention their brand, they share user-generated comments on their page, and they respond to social media questions and concerns almost immediately. This is a full-time job that requires constant interaction, but it is a strategy that has paid off for them in spades.

The Key Takeaways:

Focus on a specific audience:

Duncan Hines used social media to find and market to people who specifically enjoyed baking. They were able to creatively engage with them and offer suggestions as they choose products in-store.

Respond quickly:

When a consumer sends a message to Duncan Hines on social media, the response is almost instantaneous. Duncan Hines has proven to be very proactive when someone is seeking help regarding one of their products, creating consumer trust.

Gain user-generated content:

An important component of interacting with consumers is allowing them to share their content regarding your brand on your brand’s public spaces. Users of Duncan Hines products are encouraged to share their experience with the brand on the company’s page and, most importantly, the company always responds to that interaction.

Leverage Third-Party Apps for Successful Customer Engagement Strategies in Retail

Many companies run into trouble generating a positive ROI with mobile marketing as they believe that they must create their own proprietary app to connect with consumers in stores. This isn’t the case, however, as there are many third-party apps that brands can partner with which will give them exposure that’s often more profitable than the exposure they’d get via their own in-house app. These apps are specifically useful when they’re designed to be used in-store, like in the case of shopping apps. As consumers have these apps out and running when they’re in the store searching for items to check off their list, brands are able to advertise in the moment of a purchase decision.

Shopping apps allow you to combine all three of the prior customer engagement strategies in retail. You can use a shopping app to share information about your brand, help consumers solve a problem—and you can even use them as a social platform. Many shopping apps are specifically designed to work with in-store beacons as well, which makes it easier to direct consumers to your products’ shelves. Finally, consumers get the incentive of gaining customer rewards to keep them engaged, rather than discounts, which keeps you from having to cut your prices and put a dent in your bottom line.

All CPG brands are challenged by gaining attention in the retail environment, but mobile marketing makes this strategy easier and more profitable by allowing you to travel with your consumers. Use data to craft personalized messages and beacons to help them locate your product in stores. Offer them the opportunity to share their experience with your brand and manage this all through the use of intuitive shopping apps that put your products in front of eager and interested target audiences. By studying the stories of Duncan Hines, Pantene, and Snickers, we’re able to see that consumers respond to personalized and in-the-moment social marketing. A shopping app allows you to harness that power—and use it to grow your own brand’s presence in a crowded marketplace.

Shopkick is a beacon-enabled shopping rewards app that allows our partners to connect with consumers in the retail space. If you’re interested in using our app to help guide customers to your products in-store, contact our team today.

Posted in b2b

Addictive beauty product rewards programs on mobile apps

Posted on by Kick Writers

The foundation for any successful shopping trip is planning. Whenever I need to run out, whether it’s for groceries, toiletries, clothes, or school supplies, I make a list. I know exactly what I need and how many. I also try to plan out if I need to make any stops along the way and combine as many errands as I can into one trip.

There is, however, one exception to the rule where I throw my structured schedule and planning out the window and just savor it. I’m talking about my trips to the store for beauty products and supplies.

beauty rewards on smartphone appsI am absolutely addicted to browsing through beauty product aisles. It really doesn’t matter how much time I have, how big the store is, or whether or not I have some place to be because once I’m surrounded by lotions and lipsticks, there’s no telling how long I’ll be there, reading labels, trying samples, and sniffing bottles.

Taking the time to choose the right beauty product fit for your skin and hair has its own rewards—namely, great looking skin and hair! But what most of my friends don’t seem to know is that there are beauty rewards programs out there that can make it even more fun to shop for all the best skincare, haircare, makeup, and more.

Just in case this is also news to you, I’ve put together my list of the best beauty product rewards programs—most of which you can join for free and conveniently use on a mobile app. You’re definitely going to need to leave your schedule open next time you head out to browse the beauty aisles once you realize how much you can earn on your next shopping trip!

The Best Store Specific Beauty Rewards Programs

Maybelline has what may be the perfect slogan: Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s Maybelline. It perfectly speaks to what I love about beauty products. There’s glamor, there’s the idea that she has a secret, and, of course, there’s a mention of one of the many beauty products I love, Maybelline. What shouldn’t be a secret, though, is how great it is to join a beauty rewards program.

If you love makeup as much as I do, you must make sure you’re shopping at a store that has a great beauty rewards program. Luckily, it’s not hard to do. You know how stores like Target have programs to earn gift cards? Well, so do most of your favorite beauty supply shops!

Here are some of the store specific beauty rewards programs that I love more than my nail polish collection:

  • Sally Beauty Supply: Sally Beauty Supply was my gateway, so to speak, into the world of beautification back when I was a teenager. I used to beg, beg, beg my mom to take me there every Saturday. I still stop in every so often to take advantage of the Sally Beauty Club, which thankfully links up with the old Sally Beauty Card I’ve had for years, letting me ditch the days when I needed multiple rewards programs cards. This one is simple to use. You pay an annual fee of $5, but you save 15% on every item you buy in-store or online so most shoppers can very quickly make that money back—and more!
  • The Body Shop: The Body Shop holds a special place in my heart because of its dedication to cruelty-free products that are also eco-conscious. That stuff is important to me, but what’s equally important is that the products are high quality. The Body Shop checks off both of those boxes. Oh, and they also have a great beauty rewards program. It’s kind of like the Sally Beauty Club in that you pay $10 to join and then you get 10% off on all qualifying purchases. You also get advanced notice of sales and events. You definitely don’t have to worry about getting your money’s worth here, though, because another club perk is that you get a $10 voucher every year on your birthday!
  • MAC Cosmetics: What keeps me coming back to MAC Cosmetics is one word: lipstick. I just love MAC’s lipstick, which is why its beauty rewards program is made for me. Basically, you get a free MAC lipstick every time you bring back six empty packages of any combination of MAC products. Finally, a company paying lip service to its loyal customers—in a good way!

Beauty Rewards Programs That Work at Retailers

Who loves shopping beauty products all day at specialty stores? This girl! Who has kids and sometimes can only dream about an afternoon at MAC? Also this girl. Enter beauty rewards programs on mobile apps that work at the same stores where I grab all my household must-haves for my family, like Target and Walmart.

  • Ebates: Ebates is a great place to start if you’re looking for a beauty rewards program that actually works at multiple stores because with it you can save as much as 25% cash back (though, fair warning, it’s usually less) at more than 1,200 online retailers. As soon as you earn $5 in beauty rewards, you simply cash it in.
  • Checkout 51: To be honest, Checkout 51 is actually a lot like Ebates, but it does have one cool feature I love that Ebates doesn’t: all of its eligible cash back offers go live every week on Thursday at midnight, giving you a special date and time to focus on what you’re going to be saving in the week ahead.
  • Shopkick: My favorite mobile shopping rewards app, though, is by far Shopkick. It’s so much fun to use, making beauty shopping even better, which is something I would have thought was impossible. How Shopkick works is that it gives you points (which it calls kicks) for so many different parts of the shopping process, from walking into many popular stores to scanning the barcodes on featured products to snapping a quick pic of your receipt when you’re finished. Oh, and here’s some great news: Ulta is now on Shopkick! And I don’t have to tell you beauty aficionados out there that there is no better name in beauty!

Take it from me, who’s loved shopping for beauty products for most of my life, that using these savings programs together takes the rewards experience to a whole new level. The savings are great (obviously), but the beauty of these rewards programs (get it?) comes when you combine as many as you can together!

Shopping for lipstick, hair products, or anything else for that matter, becomes a game where everyone’s a winner. Oh, and with all the savings you’ll start to find on beauty products, it’s also a game that you’ll look good playing!

Ready to combine beauty rewards programs into an addictive savings system? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with us.

And, if you love social media as much as you love your local Target, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy Ariwasabi

Posted in b2c

Sleigh bells ring for kicks and Kohl’s deals online

Posted on by Kick Writers

More of your holiday favorites are now online! Reward yourself while shopping for all your holiday gifts at Kohl’s online through Shopkick. Plus, take advantage of Kohl’s deals available online this holiday season. 

Earn kicks for shopping Kohl’s deals online

Stock up on all your holiday gifts while earning kicks for every dollar spent! Kohl’s offers a wide selection of great products from some of your favorite brands. Stores are equipped with everything for yourself and your home: apparel, shoes & accessories for women, children and men, plus home products like small electrics, bedding, luggage and more. Kohl’s makes shopping easy and enjoyable: get a good deal at the store or online, with the option of picking up your online order in-store. Gear up for more kicks and walking in a winter wonderland!

Kohl's deals online through Shopkick app

Get started

Follow these steps to start earning your free gift cards while getting the best deals on Kohl’s online:

  1. Download the Shopkick app
  2. Find Kohl’s under online stores
  3. Shop to your heart’s content

Happy Shopkicking!

Have you earned kicks by shopping online on Shopkick yet? Watch this video to see how it’s done.

Posted in b2c

5 Trends from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday

Posted on by Kick Writers

Throughout the beginning of the year, the media was consumed with stories of a retail apocalypse; exemplified by mounting bankruptcies and store closures as well as consumer spending shifting away from retail and towards experiences, dining and travel.  So all eyes were on the biggest shopping weekend of the year, Thanksgiving-Cyber Monday, to evaluate both the current health and the long-term viability of the beleaguered retail industry.

The results? Blockbuster sales all weekend long for both physical and online retailers, propelled forward by aggressive promotions and a surge in mobile shopping. Adobe Analytics reported that American consumers spent $19.62 billion online over the five-day period from Nov. 23, 2017 (Thanksgiving) through Nov. 27 (Cyber Monday). This was $2.6 billion and 15% more than they spent during the same timeframe last year. At Shopkick, our users actively shopped throughout the long weekend both in-stores and on their phones at retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, TJX, Walmart, Kohls and eBay.

Below, we explore 5 key Thanksgiving-Cyber Monday trends and what they mean for the rest of the holiday shopping season.

1. Shopping is spread out throughout the whole weekend

Given that discounts are readily available to consumers year-round, and holiday discounts started in early November, Black Friday has mostly lost its significance as THE make-or-break shopping day. Also the nature of the event has changed, as better online and mobile experiences has meant that the days of millions of consumers waiting outside for doorbuster deals and enduring jostling crowds are largely over as consumers can shop from the comfort of their own homes or phones.

While Shoppertrak found that foot traffic did decline on Thanksgiving and Black Friday by 1.6% from last year, sales were up, especially online sales.  Thanksgiving Day saw a surge in online spending in the U.S., with purchases growing 18.3% to $2.87 billion compared to last year’s $1.3 billion, according to Adobe Analytics. On Black Friday, a record $5.03 billion was spent online, an increase of 16.9% over last year and a new record for the day. A good deal of the shopping took place on the websites of physical retailers – not just online only retailers. Finally, on Cyber Monday, a record $6.59 billion was spent online, an increase of 16.8 % over 2016, making it the largest mostly U.S.-based online shopping day in history and nearly a billion dollars more than last year at $5.6 billion.

2. A surge in mobile shopping

Consumers are now much more comfortable shopping and transacting on mobile devices. On Black Friday, Adobe reported smartphones accounted for 45% of visits and 26% of revenue for online retailers, working out to just under $2 billion in sales. On Cyber Monday, purchases made on smartphones broke records with $2 billion in sales. Adobe said early data for Cyber Monday activity showed mobile driving nearly 40% of online sales.

Another positive sign is that conversion rates on mobile are improving, due to improved apps, wallet integrations, and mobile transactions closing at a 12 percent higher rate year on year. Conversion rates on smartphones were at 3.5%, a 10% increase over last year according to Adobe.

3. Amazon vs. everyone else

Amazon continued to assert its dominance, and not just on Cyber Monday. Amazon accounted for half of Black Friday online sales. Based on web traffic, Amazon and Walmart increased their combined market share by 1.5%, while Target, JCPenney, and Sears all lost ground. Cyber Monday was Amazon’s biggest shopping day in company history, beating out the previous record holder, Prime Day. Amazon isn’t planning on slowing down anytime soon as their Amazon Prime subscriber growth — in terms of both numbers and how much they spend — sets them up nicely for the rest of the season.

4. Differences between online and in-store shopping

NRF and Prosper Insights found that more Americans shopped both in-stores and online, rather than sticking with just one channel. 38% of shoppers shopped both online and in-stores whereas 33% shopped online only and 29% shopped in-store only. These multichannel shoppers are more valuable to retailers, spending $82 more on average than the online-only shopper, and $49 more on average than those shoppers who only shopped in stores.

Aside from shoppers, successful omnichannel retailers are tailoring their marketing and merchandising strategies to each shopping environment. Walmart, for example, had more discounts online for heavy or bulky items like electronics that are more suitable for shipping, whereas in-store was stocked with deals for smaller, impulse buys.

5. Driving the sale: differentiated experience or discounts

Retailers essentially had 2 options to drive sales during this time: either rely on discounts or create a differentiated experience. Those that can drive sales through differentiated experiences, such as product assortment or a stellar in-store and mobile experience will protect their margins and equity against those that solely rely on heavy discounting.

Smart, not blanket, promotional strategies will win out as retailers are under tremendous pressure to feed today’s discount-driven consumer, with research showing that more than 60% of holiday shoppers are motivated by discounts. In fact, retailers have already discounted goods 10% more this year than last. These major discounts early in the holiday season lead consumers to believe that deeper discounts will be coming.

A positive outlook for the rest of the season!

While the immediate week following Black Friday was slower, as consumers recuperate and remember the doorbuster deals, December is poised to be strong for retailers. Healthy economic conditions for consumers and strong confidence should result in robust sales for physical and online retailers alike. Retailers must focus on strategies that engage shoppers across channels with relevant content, merchandise, experiences and promotions.

Video advertising: Advantages and disadvantages for brand growth and awareness

Posted on by Kick Writers

Video advertising’s potential advantages and disadvantages are open to debate. Many companies have found video to be a powerful converter and have made it an integral part of their marketing campaigns. Others choose to go with more traditional advertising avenues. Determining if it will be profitable for your own brand is something that’s often difficult, though, as calculating the return on investment for video advertising isn’t possible until after you’ve run a campaign and can crunch the numbers. However, if you’re aware of the common barriers to success related to video marketing, you can overcome them and effectively utilize the medium to boost consumer awareness of your brand, and, as a natural result, sales.

Positioning video advertising to get your brand’s message across can be highly impactful on your brand awareness and bottom line, provided you use the right tools to make it visible. One way  to see a significant return is by crafting a compelling message and delivering it through third-party platforms. First, however, you must have a firm grasp on the advantages—and disadvantages—of video advertising in the digital age.

The Advantages of Video Advertising for Brand Growth and Awareness

It can’t be denied that video has a certain appeal that text and image-based advertisements don’t. While it can be a bit more expensive or time-consuming to develop than other mediums, it allows you to deliver a message that connects with consumers in a deeper and more genuine way.

Here are a few of the advantages of video advertising for brands:

the advantages and disadvantages to video marketing on apps

  • Video is popular: The first and most obvious reason to choose video is that it’s simply what consumers want. More than 70% of the online US public regularly watches streaming video online. This is an audience that can’t be ignored.
  • Video is a powerful converter: Video is an excellent way to increase brand recall. In one study, it was noted that 80% of respondents remembered the videos from brands they’ve watched in a 30-day period. That’s not the case for text and photos, which consumers are inundated with so often they rarely remember individual instances of advertising.
  • Video gives your brand a personality: Video allows you to give your brand or product a personality. They allow your consumers to connect with a person or situation, rather than an image, which can help to humanize your brand.
  • People share videos: It’s estimated that 92% of individuals who’ve viewed a video have shared a video. If you’re looking for an innovative way to increase brand awareness, then this is a number that you need to consider, as the more people who share your brand’s message, the more that awareness will grow.

Video is clearly an advantageous option for many brands of all sizes as it allows you to create a message with genuine impact. It’s specifically successful for growing brand awareness, as people remember and share videos more often than they do any other kind of content. That being said, it must be noted that video can have its disadvantages as well.

The Disadvantages of Video Advertising for Brand Growth and Awareness

While video might be a great medium for marketing, it needs to be acknowledged that not just any video can compete against a similar product or company that puts out quality text and images. A bad video can cost your company more in the long run as you could invest a lot only to see a minimal return on your investment.

Here are some of the potential disadvantages to consider with video advertising:

  • The market is saturated: While video advertising has a lower cost of entry now than it did in the past thanks to new tools like low-cost cameras and free-to-use hosting platforms, that benefit creates a disadvantage as well in that anyone can make a video. It’s estimated that 300 hours’ worth of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute! That’s a large pool that your brand is going to have to compete against.
  • Video doesn’t promote itself: Due to the staggering number of videos online, it’s not possible to simply post a video and hope for the best. Marketers need to essentially market their own advertising tools by sharing it—and ideally convincing others to share it as well.
  • A commercial is still a commercial: If your video is strictly advertisement-based, don’t expect a strong conversion. A big part of ad conversion is ad viewability. After all, a commercial is still a commercial. About 65% of consumers who watch online videos skip commercial ads. Brands that do the best with video don’t advertise. They offer content with real value.

While there are disadvantages of video, they can be overcome with better marketing, the right partners, and the right timing. By being aware of potential pitfalls, you can use the benefits of video to its full advantage.

Balancing the Advantages and Disadvantages of Video Marketing

The types of videos that get shared and improve brand awareness aren’t advertisements. Instead, they’re videos that provide useful content to the viewers. If you’re going to release video as a medium to advertise, it’s important to create branded content over pure product advertisements. Branded content may include:

  • How-to videos: These can be videos that show how to use your product or answer questions about it. They can also be videos that show your product being used in a new or unique way.
  • Product reviews: User-generated content, like product reviews, are a good way to share your brand’s message through a third-party. While not as easy to control, if you get a good review, ask for permission to share it on your brand’s page.
  • A behind-the-scenes look: People want to work with companies that feel human to them. Giving a consumer a sneak peek inside your company or interviews with your employees, for instance, helps to humanize your brand.

The options are extensive but the key to video advertising is to create content that’s not simply based on making a sale. Put yourself in your consumer’s shoes and ask yourself “Would I watch this?” when you’re considering a video campaign.

In addition, you need to put your marketing muscles behind that video. Share it on social media, your website, and encourage consumers to share and comment as well. One good way to leverage video is to offer it via a shopping endemic publishing platform, such as a shopping app. You can leverage strategically placed videos within these apps to help your brand stand out and increase consumer awareness.

When partnering with a shopping app, there’s a built-in and engaged audience at your fingertips. By creating a compelling video with a powerful, branded message, you can grow awareness of your brand exponentially.

Shopkick offers our partners the opportunity to reach users with video messages within an endemic shopping environment. If you’re interested in gaining more attention for your branded video content, contact our team today to learn more.

Image courtesy GaudiLab

Posted in b2b

Continue the battle to defend net neutrality

Posted on by Kick Writers

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just behind us and the busy holiday shopping season still very much in swing, our free and open Internet is still at risk. We have tried to fend off the attacks, but the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) is now calling for a December 14 vote to end Net Neutrality as we know it.

What is Net Neutrality?

Right now we have access to every website from every Internet connection in the world. This freedom of information is easy to gloss over and often taken for granted. After all, this is all we know – the Internet started this way and has always been this way. Net Neutrality is the basic principle that protects our free speech on the Internet.

What are we fighting for?

Today, this very fundamental right is under threat. The companies that provide the Internet network connections (telecom and cable companies mostly) want to charge more for our right to access certain websites depending on the content within them. This will mean that the Internet will become more like cable TV, and will offer premium ‘channels/websites’ for an additional fee.

Furthermore, the free and open internet is fueling economic growth with e-commerce growing to nearly $400 billion in retail sales last year. Our current net neutrality rules support innovation and free and open competition for retailers and entrepreneurs.

The FCC recently released a draft order that would end this open commerce. Without net neutrality, internet service providers will be able to favor certain websites and e-businesses, or the platforms they use to garner new customers. They can control the speed at which content is delivered to visitors based on how much the websites and businesses pay.

What can we do about it?

At Shopkick, we proudly join many major tech companies including Airbnb, Reddit, and Pinterest in the fight to save Net Neutrality. Together, we can stop censorship and corruption. Our recent letter to the FCC warned of this disastrous net neutrality reversal.

This is one step in the right direction, but everyone’s help is needed. Join the battle to save the Internet.