When it comes to online stores, everyone follows the same approach to acquire more customers. Run a few ad campaigns on social media and search engine, set up retargeting ads, offer discounts on an on-site popup and send email newsletters to convert these visitors into customers. Whether it is a new visitor or a returning one, the approach pretty much remains the same – with a few elements of personalization, of course. But despite everyone following a similar approach to boost customer engagement, how are some brands able to increase Shopify sales more than the others?
They constantly innovate their customer engagement strategy.
Why is customer engagement important?
Hall and Partners’ Engager model on Market Week states that two-thirds of a brand’s profit actually comes from their engaged customers. Backing the claim is another study by Constellation Research that states brands that focus on customer engagement saw:
- 22% increase in cross-sells
- 13-15% increase in up-sells
- 5-85% increase in order sizes
That’s reasoning enough for you to think outside the box to increase Shopify sales.
The current state of customer engagement
You visit an online store. Browse a few products and maybe purchase some too.
Post which, you might follow the brand on social media to remain up-to-date with new deals and discounts on other products.
What are the typical ways in which this brand reaches out to you? Let us name a few that you’ve probably been targeted with:
- An email newsletter with product discounts
- An email newsletter with product recommendations
- A retargeting ad promoting similar products
- A retargeting ad promoting complementary products
- A social media post promoting more ongoing discounts
And once you do reach their website again through the above, here’s what you will typically see:
- A list of recommended products based on your previous purchase
- A list of featured products that shoppers similar to you have purchased
Very predictable. Right?
What is it that this store is doing that the other one isn’t? Probably, apart from offering the biggest discount on their products, nothing.
Most of their email newsletters are lying unopened in your inbox before being moved to trash.
Most of their social media posts are not even seen by you thanks to other brands publishing their content.
Most of their ad campaigns are not engaging enough and when they do drive you to their site, you come back to see the same products you viewed previously – the very same experience.
If you ask us, we’d call it boring!
That’s where gamifying your customer engagement strategy comes in.
Best gamification campaigns to increase Shopify sales
Run on-site and social contests
One of the simplest ways to use gamification to increase Shopify sales is to run a contest. The strategy behind this is pretty simple – encouraging your customers to share some information with you in lieu of a chance to win something exciting. Instead of always making it about a discount, you could host a giveaway where they stand a chance to win a free product.
While it might seem like too much of an investment at the beginning, the amount of customer engagement and shopper information you will bag will outweigh it all.
But to get maximum participation, make sure the contest is clear on your website, social media and also tap into influencers who can help you reach your target customers faster.
Why does this work?
The answer is simple why this is one of the best gamification campaigns to increase Shopify sales – who doesn’t like getting something for free? It’s just simple consumer psychology.
Gamify your coupon pop-ups
Every time a shopper comes to your Shopify store, you target them with a popup promoting ongoing deals – either after they have spent a certain amount of time on your site or at their exit intent. But what’s so new about this approach? They are half expecting it already and feel that they can claim these coupons any time – no rush!
Ready to step up your gamification campaign?
That’s where gamified popups using WooHoo come into play. Instead of handing over the coupons to the shoppers easily, first engage them in a quick game. Ask them to complete an action to reveal the popup and let them know there is a chance of not getting the popup if they don’t win!
IKONICK saw a 9.7% capture rate against total impressions using gamification. These were all shoppers who were actively browsing their store – new and repeat, both.
Why does this work?
Online shoppers have a severe FOMO (fear of missing out). When they see that there is a chance of them getting lucky, the immediate thought is that maybe other shoppers wouldn’t bag as big a discount as them and that makes them want to engage with your popup. After which, the discount you offer does all the convincing for them to make a purchase.
Explore all the games your Shopify store can run on popups with WooHoo, here.
Run loyalty programs for customers
Another strategy that is effective to increase Shopify sales, is running a loyalty program for your customers. They don’t just boost your customer engagement rates, bringing them back to check out your products time and again, but also the number of repeat sales you make and the average order value.
In this strategy, you basically let a shopper complete levels – pretty much similar to those in a mobile game. The number of purchases made, the number of in-store cash earned and similar elements become the parameters of this classification.
Why does this work?
When a shopper knows they can unlock better discounts and offers from a brand they have previously made a purchase from, the participation rates are higher. After all, there still remain a number of products on the Shopify store that they may want to purchase in the coming time.
Set up a scavenger hunt
Remember the gold old days when you had to search for little gifts at school. The one that bagged the most was a winner. You can apply the same strategy to your gamification campaign to increase Shopify sales.
You could ask your shoppers to look for a specific product image each day. The first set number of shoppers than receive an in-store credit or win free shipping on spotting the product. You could further gamify the experience by adding levels to the scavenger hunt – if a shopper spots a product 10 times and bags $10, unlock the next image to be found and tell them there is more to win.
Why does this work?
Because finding hidden discounts appeals to the consumer psychology of winning something that others may not stand a chance to spot. Pretty much similar to the excitement behind finding easter eggs! The more you find, the better it gets.
Increase Shopify sales with gamification
These are just a few strategies that Shopify stores can use to increase sales. But in the end, it is all about how you can create a sense of competing for better discounts and coupons in your customer engagement strategy.
Understand who your shoppers are, how comfortable they are while interacting with your Shopify store and what channels they make use of the most. Tailor your strategy based on how quick will it be for them to participate in your gamification campaign.
The easier it is, the greater is the participation. The higher the participation rate, the higher are the number of sales you make.
Have you implemented gamification on your Shopify store yet?
Very good tool, but you need to update more games. I started using it for some of my landing pages and also received some results
There’s a lot more coming for sure, Tony! 🙂