There’s no better time than right now for restaurants to merge mobile marketing efforts with traditionally on-premise promotions.
But if you’ve got an old-school CEO or COO and need to justify such efforts or ask for a bigger budget, go in with these stats as a group– and know that some of them are only HIGHER now, in 2014:
- 143 million Americans own a smartphone, or 60% of all mobile phones. And that number is climbing rapidly.
- Americans spend an average of 7.8 hours per month gaming on their iPhones. Apple iPhone owners lead the way at 14.7 hours per month.
- 63% of American adults agree that making everyday activities more like a game would make them more fun and rewarding.
- 86% of American consumers say they will spend more for a better customer experience.
- 61% of people have a better opinion of brands when they offer a good mobile experience.
- 72% of Millenials (16-24 year olds) expressed serious interest in receiving location-based restaurant offers on their mobile phones.
- 57% of Americans modify when and where they spend money to maximize points they earn for rewards.
- 94% of loyalty program members expect and want to see communications (email, text, etc.) from their programs.
It’s a great time to include a mobile marketing element to your ongoing promotions: Text to win. In-venue games.Â
You’ve probably heard the term “gamification” by now. I’m convinced that the fad of tossing the phrase gamification everywhere will ultimately fade, but the core concepts have been around for a long time and will stick. We just won’t eternally use the buzzword of “gamification.”
The image above represents HelloWorld‘s partnership with Boston Pizza to not only drive greater adoption of their email list, but to add a mobile element as well. It has been highly successful. Boston Pizza is a good brand that has both a family element and a sports bar element — in some cases it’s literally a wall that separates the two sides in a location.
If I were re-building this campaign today I’d add deeper CRM elements, going beyond requesting guests’ zip codes for geolocation, and giving guests’ the ability to add “preferences” to their profiles — favorite dishes, favorite teams, attaching their Facebook account.
Only a % of guests will actually provide these favorites, but I could reward them along the way to do so — giving me more insight into who my list subscribers are and, ultimately, adjusting the way I serve them…if I’m Boston Pizza.
Check out the gamification elements in some of these stats above. How are you taking advantage of our desire as consumers to accumulate points, unlock the perks that come with levels, and redeem any or all of those at your location? It’s something to consider this year!
