SnowShoe, the leading developer of physical presence systems for mobile authentication, announces the pilot launch of a new gamified retail loyalty solution with a large group of local retailers in Olympia, Washington. The new Go Downtown loyalty program uses a world-class shopping game application coupled with the unique Spark™ hardware solution to promote cross-store loyalty and bring people back to downtown Olympia.
SnowShoe chose downtown Olympia for this pilot because of the community’s successful “buy local” movement. The Olympia Downtown Alliance is an active partner in the launch.
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“Our staff is asked all the time for recommendations of where to shop or eat. The Go Downtown app gives us a fun way to share our recommendations with people and for customers to become advocates for their favorite places.”
“We’re thrilled that SnowShoe chose Olympia for this pilot,” says Todd Cutts, Executive Director of Olympia Downtown Alliance. “Downtown Olympia is a vibrant area with hundreds of independent local businesses, and we hope everyone comes back downtown this summer as retail rebounds in Olympia.”
SnowShoe CEO Ned Hayes is positive about the partnership. “SnowShoe developed this loyalty program specifically for downtown districts like Olympia,” says Hayes. “We are eager to see how people respond to this new and exciting way of shopping and dining together.”
The program is launching as part of the Olympia Downtown Alliance’s ongoing Why I Go Downtown initiative to encourage participation in local shopping, dining and entertainment. The new Go Downtown app uses game-based techniques similar to Pokemon Go™ to encourage downtown shoppers to “check-in” at local businesses. The SnowShoe solution encourages multi-store shopping trips by encouraging users to create “shopping loops” and to share favorite routes with friends. This cross-promotion loyalty between local businesses is predicted to lift repeat customer visits to downtown Olympia by over 55% year over year.
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Olympia Mayor Cheryl Selby expects consumers to embrace the program. “Olympia residents and visitors alike are enthusiastic supporters of local business,” says Selby. “SnowShoe’s new program adds a fun gamification experience to buying local, and it offers us a way to thank people for coming downtown and encourage them to come again.”
Local stores and restaurants participating in the program can recommend other businesses, building cross-store loyalty across the downtown region.
“I’m excited to see people returning to our downtown,” says Kae Stair of Compass Rose. The daily gift store has been a flagship downtown shop since 1998. “Our staff is asked all the time for recommendations of where to shop or eat. The Go Downtown app gives us a fun way to share our recommendations with people and for customers to become advocates for their favorite places.”
Dean Jones is owner of Encore Chocolates and Teas, which offers chocolates from all over the world and 325 different flavors of tea. He is also looking forward to the kick-off of the new program. “The Go Downtown program is a great new way to discover the unique appeal of Downtown Olympia,” says Dean. “There is so much to do and see here — this is an excellent community builder.”
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