New in-store gamification activity from Italian restaurant chain Zizzi is keeping diners engaged while raising money for worthy causes.

Voco, a mobile engagement platform from 3radical, is being used to deliver online scratch cards to Zizzi customers’ smartphones through the group’s Facebook page and website. 

Customers have been playing to win prizes, ranging from Zizzi vouchers to a chance to train with professional rugby players, with a separate option of donating to Cancer Research UK increasing their chances of coming away with a reward.

Both parties claim that early trials across over 140 restaurants have proved successful, with a three-fold increase in email click-through rates and a crowd of repeat players suggesting the formation of an engaged audience.

In-store activity

While plenty of companies are looking to gamification as a means of keeping their customers engaged and interested, the early seeds of Zizzi’s campaign were sewn following a study from 3radical, showing that 87% of Brits will happily read branded messages so long as they are attached to rewarding and relevant experiences.

In the case of Zizzi, rewarding experiences are followed up with a chance to win actual rewards such as free bottles of wine, £5 vouchers and 50% off a bill. 

Away from the instant wins, the effort also presents a chance to be entered into a draw for a training session with rugby players Jonny May and Alex Corbisiero or a trip to New York.   

Zizzi has combined mobile and social media marketing to form its gamification strategy, with every offer redemption measured in real time through integration with digital promotion specialist Eagle Eye.  

Jo Fawcett, marketing director at Zizzi, claimed much excitement off the back of the early results.

“In the first five weeks of this campaign alone we have seen strong results in terms of engagement with a 3x increase in email click through rates, significant repeat engagement and growing social buzz which is bringing new customers to the Zizzi experience as well as increasing contact with existing customers.”

Previous activity from 3radical has included the use of competitions, quizzes and photo-sharing opportunities to drive engagement with brands. 

Are you trialling a measurable gamification effort inside your store? Content@performancein.com would love to hear from you.