Year: 2020

10 Tried & True Holiday Cookie Recipes

Posted on by Kick Writers

The holiday season is officially underway, and the month of December always makes us want to spend even more time in the kitchen. Even though we might not be gathering this year, we still plan to honor holiday traditions. And, it wouldn’t feel like the holidays without cookies!

We’ve done the hard work for you and scoured the web for what we think are some of the best holiday cookie recipes. They’re all what we’re calling tried and true favorites, and we’re sharing the details for 10 of the top recipes we’ve found below. Plan to spend a festive night baking on your own, or spend a Saturday or Sunday whipping up cookies with your kids as a fun holiday activity. 

No matter what you decide to make, we hope you discover a recipe you will make year after year!

Snickerdoodle Cookies:

You can’t go wrong with a melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon sugar cookie! Snickerdoodles are a great option to make with kids because you can form the dough, and your kids can add the cinnamon sugar coating. As a note, the yield is typically high for Snickerdoodles, and this recipe will leave you with four dozen cookies!

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Chocolate chip cookies are not necessarily seasonal, but we do always find ourselves baking a batch (or many!) during the holidays. We have yet to uncover a recipe that’s better than the one from Nestle Toll House, so we’re sticking with it. A key for great chocolate chip cookies that aren’t flat is to make sure to add the dash of extra flour the recipe suggests!

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies:

Sugar cookies are another classic all-year-long recipe, but just like chocolate chip cookies, they’re always a welcome treat during the holidays! We all love sugar cookies for their taste, plus they’re perfect for kids to decorate. Add a few cookie cutters to your cart, and don’t forget the sprinkles and icing! This Old Fashioned Sugar Cookie recipe is excellent, and there’s also step-by-step instructions in case you want to make your own icing.

Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies: 

Please be warned: these cookies are delicious! Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies feature a cookie that’s dipped in crushed pecans or walnuts. Once the cookies are out of the oven, you will flatten the center and add your jam. Raspberry jam tastes wonderful, but any fruit jam will do!

Gingerbread Cookies:

It wouldn’t be a holiday cookie recipe roundup without Gingerbread Cookies! The fun of Gingerbread Cookies is they are perfect to cut out and decorate, particularly with royal icing. Keep in mind, similar to bread, the dough needs rise for 2-8 hours, so this is a recipe you will likely work on in shifts. 

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies:

We love the fresh taste of mint during the holidays, and candy canes are a must-have treat! This cookie recipe calls for both chocolate and candy canes. The cookies are chocolate, and the outer surround is where you will taste the candy cane pieces. Because the pieces are crushed, mints work too! 

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies: 

Few combinations are tastier than peanut butter and chocolate, and Peanut Butter Blossom cookies feature both! The cookie is where you will find the peanut butter, and the chocolate is added in when you place a Hershey Kiss on top. These are another simple and easy recipe to make with kids because they can easily add the chocolate!

Ginger Eggnog Sandwich Cookies:

Two of the most classic holiday flavors are ginger and eggnog, and this recipe combines both! The cookies are where you will find the ginger flavor, and the taste of eggnog is incorporated into the icing that will be sandwiched in the middle. The recipe yields 16 sandwich cookies, and they sound perfect to enjoy while watching a holiday movie! 

Spritz Cookies:

Spritz Cookies are known for their shapes and buttery taste, so we had to make sure to add them to our list! The dough is simple to make, and they’re also easy to decorate with sprinkles. The step that can sometimes prove tricky is working a press. Yes, these cookies require a specific tool – a cookie dough press – that forms them into their holiday shapes. 

Dark Chocolate Orange Slice & Bake Cookies:

If you have ever watched “The Great British Baking Show”, you know how much the bakers love to combine chocolate and orange. We’re here to add our stamp of approval! Sally’s Baking Addiction shares some of the best cookie recipes (and general baking recipes), and this one for Dark Chocolate Orange Slice & Bake Cookies is a winner. If you’re looking for another chocolate and orange cookie recipe, this one also gets an honorable mention!

Which holiday cookie recipes will you be baking this year? Share your favorites with us on Facebook!

Wishing you a happy & healthy Thanksgiving

Posted on by Kick Writers

2020 has changed life as we know it, and has undoubtedly been a challenging year for brands, retailers, and consumers alike. While some businesses have stayed afloat or even thrived amid the chaos, others have been forced into triage mode. And what was once a quick trip to the store has now become a matter of safety vs. necessity for many Americans.  Continue reading “Wishing you a happy & healthy Thanksgiving”

Posted in b2b

10 Ways to Celebrate Thanksgiving at Home

Posted on by Kick Writers

Many of us are trading in travel plans for a cozy day and night at home this Thanksgiving. Even though this year’s holiday may look a little different, there are still plenty of ways to make sure your family’s day still feels equally as festive. From kid-friendly crafts and can’t-miss TV specials to delicious recipes to serve and much more, keep reading below for 10 ways to ensure your at-home Thanksgiving still leaves you feeling extra grateful.

Get Crafting: 

One of the sweetest ways to decorate your home during the holidays is with crafts created by your kids! We spotted this turkey DIY, this pumpkin pie garland, these painted leaves and rocks (kids love collecting items!), and this coloring page (perfect for older kids and adults, too). What will you and your family make?

Watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade: 

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade always signals Thanksgiving and the holiday season has officially arrived, so plan to tune in with your family. The parade will still happen just as it always does (with a few Covid changes, of course), and it always offers such a fun peek at New York City. The parade starts to air live at 9 a.m. EST on NBC!

Watch the National Dog Show: 

Don’t change the channel when the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade comes to a close because the National Dog Show airs right after on NBC. This special is a competition, but the announcers always offer plenty of insight into the dogs and their breeds. If you’re thinking about adopting a dog, the National Dog Show will offer plenty of inspiration, not to mention an abundance of cute pups.

Take a Hike: 

Whether you visit a local park or search for a new-to-you trail to explore with your family, spending time outside is one of the most fun ways to spend a holiday. You can even turn your hike into a scavenger hunt for your kids by asking them to point out different colors, animals, or items found in nature.  

Run a 5K: 

Before the tryptophan hits, consider running (or walking!) a 5K with your family. You don’t need to follow a specific route; you just need to complete 3.1 miles. If you’re hoping to do a more official race, look online for virtual options to help to hold you and your crew accountable.

Set the Table: 

Today is a great day to use the “good” china! Pull the pieces you save for holidays off of their shelves, and set a table that will make you feel extra fancy (even if you’re planning to feast in your daytime pajamas). You can even make your own centerpiece to add extra flair.

Bake a New Recipe: 

If you have been eying a new recipe, Thanksgiving is a great day to give it a try! If you’re searching for delicious desserts, pop into the app, take a peek at Sally’s Baking Addiction, or pay Ina Garten (aka: The Barefoot Contessa) a visit. All three sources have plenty of recommendations to share!

Zoom Cocktail Hour: 

Whether you’re missing family and friends or simply want to say “hi”, invite your favorite people to a Zoom cocktail hour. You can even share cocktail recipes beforehand or make them live together. Outside of catching up with your loved ones, defining your Zoom as a “cocktail hour” places a time limit just in case the energy starts to lag.

Share Your Grateful List: 

Now more than ever, we’re all searching for positivity. Even though this year has had plenty of twists and turns, we do firmly believe there’s at least one thing (even if it’s small and simple) that has left you feeling grateful. Whether you share what you’re grateful for over dinner or dessert or throughout the day, make sure you do. Hearing positivity is certain to make you smile.

Watch a Holiday Movie: 

End your Thanksgiving Day by welcoming the holiday season! Plan to watch a holiday movie with your family inside cozied up on the sofa or outside on a projector. You can’t go wrong with “Love Actually” (for teenagers and adults) or “The Grinch” (perfect for anyone at any age)!

How are you spending your Thanksgiving? Keep sharing ideas with our community on Facebook!

6 essential KPIs for retail marketing in the digital age

Posted on by Kick Writers

6 essential KPIs for retail marketing in the digital age

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Key performance indicators (KPIs) are the foundation of any successful retail marketing strategy. After setting specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely goals and putting the right measurement tools in place, the marketing team charts progress based on goal forecasting and benchmark achievement over time. When thinking about which KPIs matter for you and your company, annual revenue and conversions may be the first two metrics that come to mind. However, the key KPIs for retail marketing include a mix of online and offline metrics. When analyzed together, marketers can gain an in-depth understanding of how well their omnichannel strategies are working. The data can also be used to finetune and personalize future campaigns. There is an endless amount of trackable data, but the most essential KPIs for retailers include: digital traffic, foot traffic, cart size, in-aisle engagement, overall brand awareness, and return on investment (ROI). 

Digital Traffic 

It’s vital to measure how many people are visiting your retail website. Traffic may fluctuate from month to month depending on the season, but should trend upward year-over-year, verifying the success and health of your site. 

Knowing from which source users are visiting your site is equally important—whether from pay-per-click (PPC) ads, organic search, or social media referrals—so the company can double-down on successful strategies and discard or revamp the rest. 

Consumers use multiple channels to shop, so it’s also wise to compare online vs. offline traffic to better understand how a digital presence impacts physical retail. The impact of eCommerce can be valued by breaking down traffic by zip code.

There are endless strategies for increasing web traffic, but the best produce long-term, sustainable growth. While PPC ads can give retailers a quick bump in sales and are often included in marketing mixes, far too many retailers place too much stock in this short-lived strategy. When a company stops investing in paid ads, the benefits are instantly lost. On the other hand, investing in content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) will continue to produce growth and results over the years. 

The following online tactics represent best practices for driving retail web traffic:

  • Advertise referral bonuses on the website and social media channels.
  • Produce more consistent, diverse, and optimized content. 
  • Optimize the website with well-researched and competitive long-tail keywords.
  • Encourage links to the website through third-party publications, press releases, and networking.
  • Ensure digital directory and review sites have accurate and adequate information.
  • Optimize the website for mobile devices.
  • Partner with third-party shopping apps like Shopkick to increase the company’s footprint within new audiences.
  • Automate retargeting campaigns based on user behaviors like leaving items in shopping carts or browsing the site.

 

Physical KPIs for Retail Marketing

Though we’ve been living in “the Digital Age” since the 1970s, eCommerce will likely never replace the physical brick-and-mortar shopping experience. In fact, 90% of sales still occur in stores. 

Consumers still like to physically handle products before purchasing, browse all available options, ask the advice of store personnel, and have items immediately available after purchasing. Over a third of shoppers enjoy “retail therapy” as a way of destressing, and they tend to spend more than online shoppers. 

In the past, it was a bit more of a complex process to gain personalized data on physical retail shoppers. However, advancements in technology have brought about tools like smartphones, beacons, smart mirrors, smart carts, interactive screen displays, and augmented reality headsets that can be utilized to bridge gaps between data collection and physical shopping.

using heatmap kpis for retail marketing foot traffic

Foot Traffic

Foot traffic refers to the number of people who walk into the store. This metric can be measured using camera surveillance, heat maps, and retail analytics software. It’s worth measuring store traffic to gauge how many are browsing vs. buying. 

Are you stocking what people need? Is a recently launched marketing campaign or a new product launch driving greater store visits? Are your window displays or geolocation-based text campaigns bringing local traffic in off the street?  

There are many ways to drive foot traffic:

  • Increase exterior curb appeal.
  • Implement buy online pick up in store (BOPIS).
  • Hold local events.
  • Advertise on Google Local.
  • Send location-based texts.
  • Run flash sales during slow times.
  • Show real-time inventory online.
  • Partner with a shopping loyalty app like Shopkick that encourages and rewards shoppers for visiting a store.
shopping cart kpis for retail marketing

Cart Size

Foot traffic refers to the number of people who walk into the store. This metric can be measured using camera surveillance, heat maps, and retail analytics software. It’s worth measuring store traffic to gauge how many are browsing vs. buying. 

Are you stocking what people need? Is a recently launched marketing campaign or a new product launch driving greater store visits? Are your window displays or geolocation-based text campaigns bringing local traffic in off the street?  

There are many ways to drive foot traffic:

  • Increase exterior curb appeal.
  • Implement buy online pick up in store (BOPIS).
  • Hold local events.
  • Advertise on Google Local.
  • Send location-based texts.
  • Run flash sales during slow times.
  • Show real-time inventory online.
  • Partner with a shopping loyalty app like Shopkick that encourages and rewards shoppers for visiting a store.
customer engagement at the shelf retail kpis

At-Shelf Product Engagement

Forward-thinking retailers explore how consumers engage with particular products in-aisle. 3D-eye-tracking technology can gauge visual attention, heat sensor mapping can reveal popular zones, and mobile tracking can identify how people engage with particular products or aisles. 

Where do shoppers go first when they arrive in-store? Are they lingering down certain aisles? Which shelves or displays capture the most sustained attention? Which items do people scan with smartphones to get more information?

To increase product engagement at-shelf:

  • Gamify the shopping experience.
  • Activate mobile barcode scanning.
  • Text offers using near-field communication (NFC) technology.
  • Hold in-store product demos.
  • Engage with a rewards app.
  • Show location-based in-app videos.
  • Use screens displays to provide info.
  • Bundle offers to drive new product trial

Shopkick is an innovative platform used to foster brand loyalty, as it rewards consumers for engagement, not just purchases. It also works across channels, whether a shopper wants to browse or buy online or in-store.

When eBay partnered with Shopkick, they were able to increase their app install rate by 6%, boost their new audience participation rate 62%, and achieve an 18% repeat-purchase rate. 

Best of all, Shopkick rewards with points instead of immediate discounts, so there is no need to worry about diluting profit margins or devaluing your brand.  

Brand Awareness

Brand awareness may be particularly salient if you’re launching a new product or just starting out. However, understanding if and how consumers are aware of your brand is critical to understanding which marketing strategies are successful, and which need to be improved upon. 

The starting point for measuring awareness can be found in Google Analytics data, which breaks down website traffic based on source. Consumer surveys are another way to track awareness of a retail brand. 

Brand awareness can be measured in a myriad of ways—website/foot traffic, branded search prevalence, the number of backlinks, overall share of market voice, social media likes/comments/mentions, and even competitive comparisons. 

To increase brand awareness, retailers can:

  • Run native ads and social media ads.
  • Produce fun and informative videos.
  • Partner with influencers for reviews and links.
  • Hold offline events and cross-promotions.
  • Redesign company colors, logos, and brand images.
  • Advertise in mobile shopping apps to expand reach.

One metric to always keep in mind when analyzing a marketing program’s effectiveness is the ROI. No one wants to spend more money to advertise than what is necessary to capitalize. Campaigns with the best ROI tend to leverage partnerships, personalization strategies, and make use of digital efforts like SEO, content, email, and mobile. 

Tracking KPIs for retail marketing has gotten easier with customer relationship management software and the wide plethora of digital tools at marketers’ disposal, but it can be overwhelming for retailers to know where to begin. Many companies work with third-party marketers, SEO content firms, and consultants to assess their current conditions and gain campaign traction. Partnerships are yet another way to turbocharge a retail marketing strategy and earn a significant ROI. 

Shopkick offers partners actionable first-party data that can help them track key metrics (foot traffic, at-shelf engagement, demographics/psychographics, etc.) in-store in real-time. This data allows our partners to fill gaps in the consumer shopping journey and make more insightful marketing decisions. The digital age is not slowing down; now is the time for retailers to adapt to the changing retail landscape and integrate technology into their marketing strategies. 

Shopkick is a mobile shopping rewards app that can help you track valuable KPIs for retail marketing to measure the success of your advertising campaigns. Read our partners’ success stories to see how we’ve helped them achieve a 4-6x ROI, then contact us to get started on your campaign.

Posted in b2b

Claritin

Posted on by Kick Writers

Claritin partnered with Shopkick to boost awareness and drive sales in peak allergy season

Campaign Goals

Claritin, a leading allergy relief brand, was looking for a way to build product awareness and drive in-store sales at Walmart during peak allergy season. The brand was in need of a full-funnel solution to build awareness at home, motivate traffic and in-aisle product engagement, and drive purchase consideration and conversion in-store. 

In the brand’s key season, it needed a way to differentiate itself and direct attention away from competitors. In order to drive sales without damaging profit margins, Claritin turned to Shopkick to increase awareness, engagement, and purchase intent without the use of coupons or discounts.

Shopkick Solution

Shopkick first used educational in-app content to boost awareness of Claritin allergy products, but also to shine light on a charitable partnership the brand was taking part in during the spring season. This content helped drive both awareness and brand affinity amongst both knew and existing customers. 

Once in-store, Shopkick offered rewards for engaging with products across Claritin’s brand portfolio in the crowded allergy relief aisle, effectively shutting out the competition. By rewarding shoppers for picking up the products in-aisle and scanning their barcodes, Shopkick increased consideration and purchase intent when it mattered most: while the consumer was at-shelf, with the product in their hands.

Results

Shopkick’s full-funnel solution helped to drive awareness and engagement for Claritin, with over 28M total campaign impressions. The campaign was highly successful in driving sales, boasting an impressive 4:1 ROI. Many of the sales driven were incremental, as 59% of those who went on to purchase after engaging with a Claritin product at-shelf weren’t planning to make a purchase before visiting the store.

4:1

ROI

59%

of total spend was incremental

28M+

campaign impressions

Details

Goals

Build brand awareness

Drive trial and consideration

Boost Sales

Retailer Distribution

National Walmart retailers

Products Used

Branded Lookbook, Promo Units, In-Store Scans, Purchase Validation, Consumer Research Study

Leading Pet Supply Subscription Company

Posted on by Kick Writers

A leading pet supply subscription company partnered with Shopkick to drive incremental sales both online and in-store

Campaign Goals

A leading pet supply subscription company was seeking an omni-channel solution to bridge the gap between its digital and physical sales channels, and drive purchases both online and in-store. The brand turned to Shopkick to influence purchase behavior at home, online, and in-store without the use of coupons or discounts.

Shopkick at Home & On the Go

Shopkick’s always-on mobile commerce offering allowed the pet supply company to engage shoppers at home and drive consistent online sales. Through incremental, multifaceted digital marketing campaigns (including branded emails, in-app messages, and push notifications) Shopkick highlighted reward earning opportunities and built intent to shop. By increasing reward incentives sporadically through these incremental campaigns, Shopkick grew demand exponentially and saw more than a 650% increase in orders over non-campaign days.

Shopkick In-Store & At Checkout

To drive in-store sales, Shopkick used branded in-app content to build pre-shop awareness and consideration, and to incentivize shoppers to visit Petco, PetSmart, or Target to earn rewards. In-store, Shopkick guided shoppers  directly to the featured pet products in-aisle, and used rewards to incentivize product engagement. By offering heightened rewards for making a purchase, Shopkick drove incremental, unplanned sales.

Results – Online

  • 653% average lift in online orders on promotional days
  • 326% average lift in gross merchandise sales (GMS) on promotional days

Results – In-Store

  • 5:1 Return on investment
  • 69% of purchases were unplanned
  • 20% scan to purchase conversion
  • 86K+ in-hand product engagementt A 

653%

Avg. lift in online orders on promotional days

5:1

ROI

69%

Of purchases were unplanned

Details

Goals

Build brand awareness

Drive omnichannel consumer engagement

Boost sales amongst existing and new customers

Retailer Distribution

National: Target, Petco, PetSmart

Products Used

Branded Lookbook, Promotional Units, In-Store Scans, Purchase Validation, Consumer Research Study, Digital Marketing Messaging (Email, IAM, PNS)