Gamification of the in-store shopping experience is a trend we’re following closely at Shoptalk and Groceryshop, part of the suite of tactics we’ve identified in the next-generation demand creation toolkit.
Ahead of Shoptalk Europe in Barcelona next month, research partner IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution) visited Poland to see the latest Żabka Polska stores, one of the most digitally innovative and progressive grocers in central Europe, and found new examples of in-store gamification in action.
Żabka Polska now operates more than 50 autonomous Nano branded stores in Poland, developed in collaboration with technology partner AiFi Inc. The latest store visited by IGD, Dobra 54 in Warsaw, was typically small (47 sqm sales area), carrying 800 SKUs.
Shoppers enter the store via credit card or the Zappka App, and the latter provides the gateway to the in-store gamification. The Zappka App has 7 million active users in Poland, and enables the Żabka Polska loyalty program.
To drive impulse purchase and trial, shoppers could visit a “Nano Point” just after store entry, where a touch screen gave shoppers the opportunity to win a significant discount on a surprise product. Products featured were largely impulse and snacking categories, with discounts near 50% to enable CPG’s drive volume, discovery and trial in impulse categories.
Other discounts available to App users in-store included a daily deal only in Nano stores, offering a specific product for just one Polish Zloty ($0.25) when five Polish Zloty are spent, again focused on impulse categories.
The Zappka App includes promotional features and new product launches in the style of Instagram Stories, designed to appeal to Gen-Z shoppers, and recently encouraged users to look after a virtual frog Zabu and win shopping rewards, attracting engagement from 2 million users.
The so-called “Temufication” of retail suggest demand creation is possible through programmes including limited-time special offers and gamification, this activity from Żabka Polska the latest example we’ve seen if this thinking being executed in a seamless way.
Discover IGD’s brand-new framework research on physical grocery stores of the future directly from Insight Director Tom Wakeman on the Groceryshop track at Shoptalk Europe, 3-5th June in Barcelona.
Tomasz Blicharski, Wojtek Krok, Paulina Kazimierska, Pawel Grabowski, Dan Butler, Stewart Samuel, Toby Pickard
