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Sears steps up mobile push to drive traffic to specific in-store location

Sears has teamed up with mobile game application SCVNGR to launch a custom game designed for the department store chain?s footwear and fitness department.

The game provides a way for Sears to drive customers to the footwear and fitness department, get them interacting with the products and reward them for their actions. It expands Sears' existing mobile efforts to try to reach new customers and provide more mobile features for existing customers.

?The SCVNGR?s game presents a huge opportunity for us to drive customers to specific areas of our store, getting them interacting with the products and rewarding them for having a good time,? said Tom Aiello, spokesperson for Sears Holdings, Hoffman Estates, IL.

?Sears is all about creating a positive, fun and rewarding shopping experience for our customers,? he said. ?Mobile offers many functions beyond just listing available products, and we?re leading the next wave of shopping innovation by offering the latest mobile apps and location technologies to help our customers get the best deals while they?re at our stores.?

To play, customers download the SCVNGR app from the Apple App Store or Android Market, create a profile and check-in at a local Sears store.

Once they have done this, they can complete the Sears in-store challenges by snapping photos of certain products to earn points which can be redeemed for rewards.

Consumers can also earn points from the Sears Shop Your Way Rewards program.

Shoo-in
Customers who reach the first points threshold receive a 15 percent discount on their purchase.

At the second level, users receive 20 percent off and 10,000 Shop Your Way Rewards points.

At the third level, users receive 20 percent off and 15,000 Shop Your Way points.

The game generates a unique code when users reach certain levels, which they take to the register. A Sears employee enters the code to redeem the reward.

The in-store challenges include finding the coolest sneakers, snapping a photo and adding a caption, picking three favorite colored shoes and taking a picture of them next to each other.

?We wanted to engage customers more and help drive traffic to the stores, and leveraging the game?s platform allowed us to deliver just that ? an interactive game that rewards customers.? Mr. Aiello said.

The game is currently available at 913 Sears locations. It was introduced on April 25, receiving new challenges next month and continue through August.

A couple of hundred stores have already had up to 1,500 players each since the game was launched.

The SCVNGR game offers a way for customers to deeply engage with a brand, per Chris Mahl, senior vice president and chief brand alchemist at SCVNGR, Cambridge, MA.

?On average when customers start playing a challenge with a brand, they spend up to between nine and 21 minutes playing,? Mr. Mahl said. ?The platform brings you to specific products and areas of a store, adding time to the experience.

?There?s a real brand connection that comes out of it,? he said.

More mobile
The SCVNGR app enables users to check-in at more than 12,000 locations, snap pictures and try different challenges to earn points that can be redeemed for rewards. 

Some of the other retailers that SCVNGR has worked with include Journeys, Hot Topic and Neiman Marcus.

Sears views the game as another way to expand its presence in mobile.

The retailer has also used QR codes in its catalogs which customers can scan for more information.

?Overall, Sears Holdings is here to help customers shop with ease and convenience, while constantly evolving the online shopping experience, providing our customers the ability to shop their way,? Mr. Aiello said.

?Mobile only helps us further our commitment in helping customers shop how they want, when they want,? he said.

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer