Author: shopkick

3 ways to make money from home on your phone

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I’ve always been a little bit of a homebody. I don’t know why. I guess part of it has to do with the fact that I love to be comfortable, to wear my comfy pajamas around, and to have full access to the many cold drinks and nice snacks in my fridge at all times. I don’t mind going to work and going out to socialize at dinner, brunch, or happy hour. But, make no mistake, I’m always glad to be home at the end of the day. 

It’s this preference that has actually motivated me to find some great ways to make money from home on my phone, ways that can really give me just a little bit of extra income without me ever having to leave the house. Like so many things in life, these ways to make money from home on your phone vary both in terms of how effective they are and in how much I look forward to using them, but they really do work. And so today I’m going to share them with you! 

I know what it’s like to be able to curl up with a cup of tea on your sofa and still be able to make some money. For homebodies like us, it is literally everything. I love it, and I suspect if you can relate to anything I wrote above, you will too!

How to Make Money From Home on Your Phone by Taking Surveys

I think everyone has a story about taking surveys online, and the reason that it’s so common is that it works (kind of). There are actually a number of different apps that will pay you money to take surveys at home on your smartphone. I personally find surveys a little tedious, but maybe you can try a few and find one that works for you?

The way they all work is basically the same, too. You just download a survey app, enter your demographic information, and the app sends you surveys. The more surveys you take, the more money you can earn. The amount of money you get for each is usually kind of small, but that’s okay. You don’t have to leave home to take them!

How to Make Money From Home on Your Phone by Watching Videos

ways to make money from home on your phoneAnother great way to make money from home on your phone is to download an app that rewards you for surfing the web and watching videos. The one I use is called Fronto, and how it works is that it encourages me to do things that I normally do online anyway, things like reading news, articles, product deals, and product reviews.

In exchange for my participation, Fronto gives me points. The more points I accumulate, the more I can trade them for PayPal cash, gift cards, or coupons to my favorite stores. It’s not the most fun way in the world to spend your time, but you can do it right from the comfort of your couch, which is a major plus for me.

How to Make Money From Home on Your Phone by Using Shopkick

I believe the best way to make money from home on your phone is by using this app called Shopkick. Now, there are actually a few different ways to use Shopkick, including both while you’re out shopping and while you’re at home. How it works when you go out shopping, is that you use Shopkick to get points for things you do every time you hit the aisles, things like walking into stores, going down aisles browsing products, and making purchases. You can then trade in the points you earn for gift cards to a variety of stores. 

That’s all great, but we’re here today to talk about ways to make money from home on your phone. Well, with Shopkick you can do that, too! Basically, you don’t always have to run out to Walmart, Best Buy, or to get groceries to use it. No, with Shopkick there are tons of ways that Shopkickers can earn rewards right from the app—no need to go anywhere. These include earning kicks for watching videos as well as getting instant surprise kicks for going on Easter egg hunts in the app. Users can also get amazing deals where you can earn big points and rewards by shopping on your phone at some of your favorite stores like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart.com!

With Shopkick, there are tons of ways that Shopkickers can earn rewards right from the app—no need to go anywhere.

There you have it: three great ways to make money from home on your phone. They’re all good and at least a little bit effective, but like I said, my all-time favorite is easily Shopkick. It’s super easy to use, there are a ton of different ways to score points (and I love variety), and you have equally as many options on where you can get gift cards. 

I also like Shopkick because the app has a fantastic community on its social media channels. I don’t know how much time I’ve spent hanging out in one of Shopkick’s Facebook threads, sharing app tips with other Shopkickers, or even just passing around memes and telling jokes. And you know what the best part is? To do all that, I still don’t even have to leave my comfy home!

Start using one of the best ways to make money from home on your phone by downloading a shopping rewards app. Download Shopkick’s free app today and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with a free, smartphone app sidekick.

And, if you love social media as much as you love your smartphone, join Shopkick on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for a little daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy AntonioGuillem

Shopper Marketing Best Practices: Lessons from Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods

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Shopper Marketing Best Practices: Lessons from Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods

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When seeking out shopper marketing best practices, the ideal option for both retailers and brands is to look at the successes of those who’ve come before them. While Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods are very diverse brands with unique demographics, many of the successful strategies that they’ve provided us with are applicable on a smaller scale, especially for CPG brands seeking new ideas. Brands wanting to update their shopper marketing mix should look to these three retail powerhouses for strategies proven to boost sales and gain market share.

Brands must always be willing to adapt as the market changes. This need for adaptability is why retailers like Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods provide so many insightful examples of shopper marketing best practices. These brands have successfully shifted focus and rethought campaigns to stay competitive as consumer needs constantly change. By staying ahead of retail advertising trends, brands can also increase their competitive edge. These practical takeaways from Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods show us how successful a brand can be when they focus on being adaptable and meeting customer needs.

Studying Walmart’s Segmentation Strategy

Walmart’s main selling point has always been its low prices. However, this has presented some challenges for the retailer as low prices typically pull in less loyal consumers. Once the brand is unable to beat the steep discounts of a competitor, they lose that customer. To combat this, Walmart makes a point of segmenting their audience to ensure that price isn’t their only competitive edge and defining factor.

To strengthen customer retention, Walmart takes a psychographic approach to audience segmentation. This type of segmentation goes deeper than simple behavioral analysis, focusing on information which is a bit harder to obtain from customer service interactions, including the following.

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Consumer Personality Types

Knowing someone’s basic personality type—like whether they’re introverted, extroverted, aggressive or passive—can help companies gain insight into how to plan events, and to ensure they’re able to satisfy all customers. A choice that’s as significant as determining whether to hold a Cyber Monday event or a Black Friday event is much easier to decide when a retailer knows how receptive their customer base is to each.

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Opinions

Political opinions can be a major factor in what drives a consumer to make purchases. It’s significant to note that Walmart has always taken a very patriotic stance by emphasizing items which are made in America, supporting charities and events for soldiers, and so on. This patriotism aligns with the opinions of the retailer’s core audience, and helps to build loyalty and trust.

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Interests

Understanding the interests of the consumer can help a retailer determine what areas to focus their attention on when planning events or selecting advertising partners. For example, Walmart is a major NASCAR supporter—evidenced in their very recent agreement to sponsor the Quaker State 400—which is again, an interest which aligns with its target audience.

Notably, on a smaller scale, Walmart offers NASCAR merchandise and holds events around the popular sport. Through this strategy, the retailer humanizes its brand by sharing its customers’ interests.

Walmart not only focuses on price, but also works diligently to build brand affinity and understand customers needs. The retailer does so by using publicly available social media information to obtain various customer profiles within its target market. This strategy is one in which brands can take advantage of as well to create a deeper connection with consumers. A brand can apply this strategy by using the following techniques.

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Following Hashtags

When a consumer follows a brand on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media site, the individual gives an indication that they are loyal to this brand. This social action sends a signal to the brand that this promising consumer should be evaluated for data potential.

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Reviewing What Followers Have in Common

Following consumers back can give brands valuable access to customer insights, for example, to the things they like and share, as well as the comments they make. This information can be aggregated to help brands find common ties among their customers, which can then be leveraged into a marketing strategy.

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Finding Brand Differentiating Factors

When a large part of a core audience has a common interest—like in the case of NASCAR and Walmart—brands should find a way to weave that common thread into their marketing strategy. This involvement doesn’t have to be expensive or extreme. It can be as simple as sharing interest-specific information on social media.

Going High-tech at Target

One way for brands to stand out and remain relevant in this fast-paced digital environment is to take advantage of emerging trends in retail shopping—which include high-tech options like mobile wallets and rewards, online ordering, and apps that blur the line between digital and physical spaces. Innovation is a value that Target focuses on to stand out in the retail landscape, and has successfully done so by implementing several new features such as the following.

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Curbside Pickup

Target continues to expand its Drive Up curbside service, which allows users to order via mobile app for pick-up in the parking lot. Many Target customers enjoy this convenient feature, and the retailer intends on implementing the strategy to up to 1,000 stores by early 2019.

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Piggybacking on Prime Day

When Amazon held its annual Prime Day, Target decided to jump on the bandwagon and offered flash sales during the event via its website. As a result, the retailer reported its biggest one-day sales event so far this year.

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Augmented Reality Features

In late 2017, Target rolled out an augmented reality function on their mobile site which allows users to view furniture in their living space via an AR overlay. This unique feature makes it easier for consumers to gauge the size and style of furniture they’re considering, creating a more seamless and helpful shopping experience.

Target’s AR option was so popular the retailer rolled out a beauty-based AR program in early 2018 which is performing equally well.

These are just a few of many strategies that Target has used to embrace technology and improve overall customer experience. Through these efforts, the company manages to stay competitive in its brick-and-mortar locations, even when competing with major online retailers. This is also a strategy that brands can capitalize on, but on a smaller scale. Brands that wish to follow Target’s lead should try the following.

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Stay on Top of Trends

By understanding that Prime Day wasn’t a competition, but an opportunity, Target was able to take advantage of the high volume of shoppers looking for e-commerce sales, and in turn, increased online purchases during that day. The retailer did not view this online event as a threat, but instead as an established digital trend.

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Tech as an Incentive

Consider technology an incentive—not an advertisement. Target does not use its apps or websites as strict advertising. Instead, these apps and technology improve the customer experience by offering an additional service.

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Partner With Third Parties

Not all brands have unlimited budgets to invest in new retail mobile apps and high-tech website features. Partnering with third-parties helps to allay some of these expenses. Shopkick, for example, offers a shopping app which brands can use to direct consumers to their products in the store, providing a seamless shopping experience.

 

Whole Foods Updates Shopper Marketing Best Practices in a New Market

Whole Foods faced challenging times during the sudden explosion of demand for organic food. For years and years, the brand controlled the health food niche simply due to supply and demand. The desire for these foods had not gone mainstream, allowing the brand to focus on this opportunity to differentiate itself from competitors. As organic offerings became more popular, many other chains released lower-cost natural alternatives to Whole Foods products, eliminating the retailer’s competitive edge.

However, in the midst of this challenge, Whole Foods saw an opportunity. With so many new consumers entering the organic food market, the retailer realized this new audience would need some guidance. Whole Foods shifted its entire marketing message from serving a niche of knowledgeable customers to servicing a mainstream market. These changes involved the following.

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Humanizing the Brand

In its new digital, online, and television advertisements, Whole Foods has pulled away from the commercials of old and instead has introduced their audience to more human moments and relatable characters. A few examples include a man on a Paleo-diet convincing his father to participate in the diet as well, or another that shows a customer overwhelmed by cheese choices in the store.

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Employing Experts

Whole Foods employees aren’t just working cash registers or stocking shelves. They are knowledgeable brand ambassadors that are prepared to provide information—especially to those new to buying organic—which helps to guide customer purchases.

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Reducing Prices

Whole Foods had to reevaluate its pricing structure to win over consumers who were seeking out lower cost organic options elsewhere. One way the brand did this was by partnering with Amazon—who purchased the retailer in 2017—to include more Whole Foods products through its Prime program.

Whole Foods was able to adapt to a challenging climate and reinvigorate its brand. By reviewing its audience, the retailer created a new campaign which resonated as organic foods went mainstream. This strategy is one that many brands can emulate by trying the following measures.

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Becoming Subject Matter Experts

While many retailers sell organic foods, Whole Foods differentiates by presenting itself as an expert on organic foods. This can be a particularly useful strategy for challenger brands, as this helps even smaller, lesser known brands increase visibility not only for their products, but for their knowledge. This method is excellent for building consumer trust which can, in turn, build brand affinity.

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Rewarding Customers

Not every brand can afford to cut prices, and many don’t want to, as their focus is not on price-based competition. Rewards act as an alternative to discounts as they still offer a financial return to consumers without diminishing brand value.

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Staying True to Branding During a Pivot:

While Whole Foods shifted its strategy, the retailer didn’t compromise their core values by offering discount organic foods to compete with other mainstream retailers. Instead, the brand stayed true to its focus on locally sourced, quality foods even as they introduced those foods to new consumers. Through this strategy, the brand was able to connect with new consumers without alienating their existing loyal customers.

The three strategies of these retail giants can be easily adaptable to shopper marketing best practices for CPG brands of any size, from small startup brands to major multinational companies. By examining the segments of their audiences, offering new features through technology, and pivoting a brand without changing its message, companies can retain loyal customers while opening new markets. These brands can differentiate themselves even in a very crowded climate and as a result, grow their market share.

Shopkick helps our partners improve the customer experience by offering an engaging, gamified app which encourages brand interaction. For more information on how our app can benefit your brand, contact us.

Get your Starbucks fix at home (and earn kicks!)

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Did you get your morning fix? If you did, it was only one (or two) of the 400 million cups of coffee Americans drink every day. Many of us can thank Starbucks for providing our morning cup of joe. Whether you’re a Starbucks fanatic or just like their vibe, you can now get kicks for Starbucks!

Earn kicks for Starbucks in stores

Scan and submit receipts to earn kicks for select Starbucks ground coffee and K-Cups in stores like Walmart, Target, and many more. Open the app to find scans near you!

 

Earn kicks for Starbucks online

You can also find your favorite Starbucks products online through Shopkick and earn kicks with every $1 spent on stores like Walmart.com, Boxed, Jet, and more.

Waking up is easy when you can enjoy your favorite cup of Starbucks coffee in the comfort of your home. With coffee this convenient, you’ll be ready for the day in no time.

Bring your Starbucks fix home with you, and go ahead and treat yourself to that second cup — you’ve earned it!

Don’t have Shopkick yet?

Download it now to start earning a free gift card for the shopping you already do!

Where the best deals on electronics are hiding on your smartphone

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I have a confession to make: even though I’m a fully-grown, adult man, I have become just a little bit obsessed with playing Pokemon Go on my phone. Hey, what can I say? I don’t even have any excuses besides that you gotta catch ‘em all. Real Pokemon players will know exactly what I’m talking about with that one. Anyway, the thing I love about this game is that it pushes you to go out and use the Pokemon Go app to hunt for new Pokemon in all kinds of different places, from a park to inside the aisles at a grocery store. 

I’ve played it so much, in fact, that the other day I started thinking about how great it would be if there was an app out there that paid me to do this kind of scavenger hunting in other ways. When I thought about it for a minute, I realized that there actually is an app that does that.

Today I’m going to go over the type of app I’m talking about, how you can use it to get paid for playing a fun scavenger hunt that’s pretty similar to that Pokemon game, and then how you can use your points from that game to find the best deals on electronics, that are hiding on your smartphone like a rare pokemon! Oh, and I’ll close by suggesting a specific shopping app that I think all electronics aficionados like myself must have on their smartphones.

Use Third-Party Shopping Apps to Earn the Best Deals on Electronics

The first step to finding out where the best deals on electronics are hiding on your smartphone is to learn what a third-party shopping app is and how it works. It’s actually a pretty simple concept. Third-party shopping apps give you rewards for shopping, or they help you save money on your purchases. There are actually two main types of third-party shopping apps that you should know about, which if you’re a Pokemon player like me isn’t that many at all, not compared to all the different Pokemon that are out there.

Anyway, the first type of third-party shopping app is called a coupon app, and how it works is actually super similar to old-school coupon clipping. Depending on the app, you can either sign up and select from a list of coupons that you apply to your purchases retroactively, or you can even use it to scan paper coupons and then show them to the cashier at the store in a much cleaner and more organized way. The other type of third-party shopping app (which I prefer) is a rewards app that gives you points for the things you do while you’re out shopping already, but we’ll go into more detail about that below. First, I want to talk about how these apps can turn shopping into a game where your prize is the best deals on electronics.

Use Third-Party Shopping Apps to Turn Your Hunt for Electronics Into a Game

get the best deals on electronicsWith the Pokemon Go app, even just taking a simple walk in the park feels like a fun scavenger hunt. Well, that’s how the best shopping apps work, too. You go out to the store, and you find yourself hunting for points, points you can later trade in to make sure that you get the absolute best deals on electronics.

It’s really cool. I may have mentioned this before, but I’ve always been kind of shopping adverse. Not with these new shopping apps, though. Now, I actually look forward to my trips out to the store, even if I’m just going shopping for groceries. It’s all because of the cool incentive system. Hey, I’m a gamer. Give me a chance to earn points and I’ll jump at it every single time!

The Best Third-Party Shopping App to Find the Best Deals on Electronics

The last thing I want to do here today is give you a recommendation for a specific third-party shopping app that you can use both to turn your shopping trips into a fun game and to find points that you can trade for gift cards, which you can then use to find the best deals on electronics that are hiding on your smartphone. My favorite is this app called Shopkick, which basically works just like the scenario I described above. The app gives you points for a few different things that you do when you go shopping, things like walking into stores, going down aisles browsing products, and making purchases.

Unlike Pokemon Go, to play this game you don’t always have to get up and go somewhere. There are tons of ways that Shopkickers can earn rewards right from the app—no need to go anywhere at all. These ways include kicks for watching videos as well as instant surprise kicks for going on Easter egg hunts right on your smartphone inside of the app. Users can also get amazing deals where you can earn big points and rewards by shopping on your phone at stores like Amazon, Walmart, and more!

The first step to finding out where the best deals on electronics are hiding on your smartphone is to learn what a third-party shopping app is and how it works.

I suspect that one day I’ll get a little bit tired of hunting Pokemon. I mean, my entire life there’s always been a really cool new video game that comes along and makes the older games feel obsolete. That’s just how it goes, and I’m okay with it. I’m having fun playing Pokemon now while I still can.

However, I don’t think I’ll ever stop using Shopkick. I mean, it’s an app that both feels like a game and helps me get gift cards that I can use on electronics! It’s so good that I can no longer envision shopping without it, and that’s a very good thing.

Ready to start having fun with your shopping while at the same time finding the absolute best deals on electronics? Download Shopkick for free today and get yourself hooked up with a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how rewarding—and fun—shopping can be!

And, if you love using your smartphone to stay up on social media, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy Mbruxelle

3 ways to get Starbucks gift cards to fuel your next shopping spree

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I don’t know what’s wrong with my personal calendar, but no matter what I do, it always seems to be brimming with dates and engagements! Now, to be fair, a big part of this is my fault since I am now and have always been the type of person who won’t turn down a coffee date, but that doesn’t mean it’s not causing me problems! For example, to get all of my shopping done these days—which, let’s be honest, is one of the most important things—I often have to wake up early or stay up late to do it at odd hours. 

Now, I’m perfectly happy to do all this since, it has the doubly nice effect of meaning there are less crowds and I ultimately have more time to spend meeting up with friends, but I should note that I’m not as energetic as I once was and I do get tired. Thankfully, that’s where coffee comes in! And you know what’s even better than a tasty Starbucks latte to fuel your next shopping spree? Finding a consistent way to get Starbucks gift cards you can use to buy your favorite cup of Joe! 

That’s actually what I want to talk about today: three ways to get Starbucks gift cards to fuel your next shopping spree. These are just my own personal tricks of the trade, the ones that have over the course of the years worked the best for me.  

Tip No. 1: Get Starbucks Gift Cards with the Starbucks Rewards Program

The simplest tip I have to get Starbucks gift cards is to download the Starbucks Rewards program app and sign up. It’s totally free and super easy, as well as an absolute must if you’re as big of a Starbucks addict as I am. After you download it to your mobile device, all you have to do the next time you’re in a Starbucks is pick up a gift card and have it connected to your account. 

You then start loading money onto that gift card and using it to make your Starbucks purchases. As a result, for each dollar you spend, you’ll get two stars. Once you have 300 stars, you get elevated to the gold member reward zone status, which is where you can start earning free food and beverages! I can’t recommend this program enough, seriously. Part of the appeal is that it also ties into the next tip on our list.

Tip No. 2: Get Starbucks Gift Cards with a Starbucks Rewards Visa Card

tips to get Starbucks gift cardMy next secret (or maybe not so secret after today) tip to get Starbucks gift cards is to sign up for the Starbucks Rewards Visa Card. As I mentioned above, the way the Starbucks Rewards program normally works is that it gives you stars for purchases you make at Starbucks, stars you can later trade for free food and free coffee to power your late-night or early-morning shopping sprees. Well, with the Starbucks Rewards Visa Card you can start to earn stars for purchases you make elsewhere as well.

You can actually earn stars for buying anything, from gas to groceries to—of course—more coffee. Basically, anywhere you can use your Starbucks Rewards Visa Card will give you back points that you can then use to toward your own Starbucks Rewards total. It’s a real game-changer, believe me! Basically, every point counts when there’s free coffee involved.

Tip No. 3: Get Starbucks Gift Cards with the Best Shopping Rewards App

The third and final tip on our list here today is also kind of my favorite. It’s this shopping rewards app called Shopkick, and how it works is that it gives you points for the everyday things you do while you’re out shopping already, things like walking into stores, going down aisles browsing products, and making purchases. You can then trade those points in for gift cards to many of your favorite stores, including Starbucks! Basically, with Shopkick it quickly starts to feel like you’re getting paid to shop for groceries or even to go to the movies with friends!

There are also tons of ways that Shopkickers can earn rewards right from the app—no need to go anywhere at all, which is super helpful when you have a calendar as packed as mine always seems to be. These ways include earning kicks for watching videos and instant surprise kicks for going on Easter egg hunts in the app. Users can also get amazing deals where you can earn points and rewards by shopping on your phone at stores like Amazon, Walmart, and more! That’s also another thing I love about Shopkick—that it’s both effective and fun!

Shopkick turns every last trip out shopping into a fun scavenger hunt for points.

Shopkick turns every last trip out shopping into a fun scavenger hunt for points. I honestly don’t remember how shopping used to be without it, but I can tell you that I look forward to all my trips down those aisles now. I’m sure that if you give it a try, you will too!

Get to know the absolute best shopping rewards apps that you can use to get Starbucks gift cards and fuel your next shopping spree! Download Shopkick’s free app today and become a part of a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered just how much you can earn with the help of a free shopping sidekick.

And, if you’re on social media catching up with friends, be sure to also join Shopkick on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for a little daily fun and inspiration.

Image courtesy Yastremska

Creative shopper marketing plans: How to grab the attention of your target audience

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Creating a shopper marketing plan for a target audience requires a lot of insight. Brands must be prepared to do a deep dive into their ideal customer data to ensure delivery of messages at the right time, to the right group of consumers. A critical part of this is understanding and working with data.

With the right data, brands can connect with consumers based on their specific needs, as well as reach out to new consumers, or market new products. Data is available on just about every online platform. However, data which travels with consumers—like in the case of mobile shopping apps—can be particularly valuable. Using data helps in guiding brand marketing campaigns, which can, in turn, increase market share.

Deciphering Data for a Shopper Marketing Plan

Brands need to gain insight into their target audiences to create a marketing strategy around shopper behavior, That means finding the most useful, relevant data—the types of which can be broken down into four broad categories.

Identity Descriptive Quantitative Qualitative
This category covers the basics like name, address, email, phone number, and other fundamental identifying factors. This data goes a bit deeper into identity, breaking down an individual’s socioeconomic class, marital, and family status.   Quantitative data is numbers-based. It’s used to determine how often a consumer makes purchases, how much they spend, and more. This data is a way of measuring why a customer behaves in a certain way. The qualitative category is mostly subjective and centers on what drives customer purchase decisions.

Marketers can use first-party data, or data given directly from the consumer to the company, when building a shopper marketing plan. For example, popular e-commerce retailer, Amazon, uses a consumer’s prior history on the shopping platform to provide them with future purchase recommendations. Alternatively, marketers can use third-party data, where available data is used or purchased from outside sources. Shopkick, for example, acts as an intermediary for third-party data because the app provides partnering companies with information regarding its users’ shopping behaviors.

Using Data to Target Shoppers

A good shopper marketing plan focuses on using prior behaviors to predict a shopper’s future purchases. More than a few brands have leveraged this tactic, including:

  • Dannon: When Dannon wanted to promote a new line of natural yogurts, the brand had to consider their existing audience, which was made up primarily of older individuals who spent more time watching television than they did on digital media. As a means of creating a digital bridge for younger customers, Dannon offered a promo code during its TV commercials, which when sent via text, delivered mobile coupons for the new product.
  • Pringles: When the brand wanted to create a new marketing campaign, they turned to social media data to help them locate trends surrounding their products. When doing so, they discovered many consumers were “stacking” flavors together to create new ones. This data led to the highly popular Flavor Stacking campaign, which leveraged an existing trend to create a unique experience for customers.  
  • Covergirl: Covergirl, along with many experts within the cosmetics industry, have noticed an increased trend of men using beauty products like bronzer, eyeliner, and brow gel, among others. The brand began hiring male models and cosmetics spokespeople in 2016, and since has continued with an inclusive focus on male cosmetics users to reach this emerging demographic.

effective shopper marketing planIn all of these scenarios, brands recognized emerging trends by looking at both their existing data, as well as industry data. These strategies help brands reach new demographics as they’re taking shape, allowing them to cement themselves in before these trends go mainstream. A significant part of capitalizing on emerging trends is partnering with the right companies in order to gain access to third-party data.

Accessing Third-Party Data to Build a Shopper Marketing Plan

While there are a plethora of opportunities in third-party data available to marketers, not all are equal. Some data may be able to provide necessary identity information. However,  third-party shopping apps that connect with consumers in the shopping aisle can provide a greater array of information across the four data categories.

In many cases, brands can gain access to this data by partnering with outside companies, rather than merely purchasing this data. Partnering is often a better option, as it allows brands to continuously gather new information over time, which they can then use in conjunction with future marketing strategies. Other options include reviewing publicly available information on social media and other online platforms. Though, brands would do best to partner with a company experienced in gathering this data to ensure the process doesn’t become unwieldy.

Data is an essential part of a shopper marketing plan as it allows brands to get to know their audiences, capitalize on current trends, and increase the ROI of their marketing campaigns.

Data is an essential part of a shopper marketing plan as it allows brands to get to know their audiences, capitalize on current trends, and increase the ROI of their marketing campaigns. By partnering with third-party apps, these brands can open the lines of communication with consumers and ensure they’re delivering an excellent customer experience. This data doesn’t just help brands target current demographics, but also discover new ones and, with the right campaigns, grow their market share.

With Shopkick, our partners gain greater insight into their target audiences, enabling them to convert browsers to buyers. For more information, contact us.

Image courtesy of VectorKnight

How to use mobile apps to save money on groceries

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I’m the type of person who is fully committed once I decide to do something. I’ve always liked to push myself. If I join a spin class, you better believe I’m going to try to ride harder every time I get on the bike. When I practice yoga, I’m forever trying to perfect my form on a new pose. Before my husband and I spent our summer vacation in Wine Country, I did weeks of research, essentially turning myself into a self-taught sommelier. I also apply this same approach to my shopping and the various ways there are for saving money.

At first, this meant staying vigilant in searching for unadvertised sales and discounts at department stores and fancy boutiques. Then, it evolved into using third-party shopping apps that gave me points for my purchases, points I could later trade in for gift cards. Now, my natural inclination to get more involved in everything I do has led me to use these same third-party shopping apps to save money when shopping for groceries. I’ve learned a lot about this and so today I’d like to share with you the top lessons I’ve learned when it comes to using mobile apps to save money on groceries.

Simply put, there is a lot to be learned and even more to save by diving into the world of apps to save money on groceries. However, there are a lot of ways to go about this and it can be a bit overwhelming at the start. Don’t worry, though, these three lessons should help you push yourself, too!

How to Use Mobile Apps to Save Money on Groceries Lesson No. 1: Do Your Homework

The first thing you need to do is learn all that you can about shopping apps, which come in a few different varieties. Here’s a quick primer to help you keep the three most common straight:

  • Branded Shopping Apps: These apps that specific stores offer to give you savings and other benefits as an incentive to shop at their stores. One example is the Walmart Savings Catcher app, which automatically checks other nearby stores for lower prices and if it finds any, it deposits the difference between what you paid into an account for you to use on your next trip to the store.
  • Coupon Shopping Apps: Basically, coupon apps work like paper coupons used to, in that they give you discounted prices on things you buy. There are many different types to choose from, some of which give you a percent off before you purchase things and others that involve scanning actual paper coupons to present to the cashier before you check out.
  • Points-Based Shopping Apps: This is my favorite type of shopping app. In general, you can use these at many different types of stores, including grocery stores, and what they do is give you points for doing certain things while you’re there. Once you’ve earned enough points, you can later redeem them for cash back or gift cards (more on these later).

How to Use Mobile Apps to Save Money on Groceries Lesson No. 2: Be Consistent

how to use apps to save money on groceries

Whichever type of app you choose, the key is to be consistent. Simply put, if you don’t use an app regularly, you won’t be able to reap any benefits. It sounds like common sense, but it’s true. To maximize your savings, you need to maximize the time you spend using the app.

One great thing about shopping apps, however, is that they make this relatively easy. The best of these types of apps are so simple that you can seamlessly integrate them into your shopping routine already. Most of the time, you can earn points and savings without going out of your way even a little bit. It’s a beautiful thing…trust me.

How to Use Mobile Apps to Save Money on Groceries Lesson No. 3: Find the Perfect App

Of our three lessons here today, though, I think the most important of them is to find the perfect app. In my opinion, the answer is this app called Shopkick, and how it works is that Shopkick gives you points for the things you do when you go grocery shopping already, things like walking into stores, going down aisles browsing products, and making purchases. As I described earlier, you can then trade these points in for rewards, which come in the form of gift cards that you can use at all your favorite stores.

For me, it’s easy to remember to use Shopkick every time I go out because Shopkick turns each trip down the shopping aisle into a game, and with my personality, I end up pushing myself to see if I can top my previous point totals. It’s actually a whole lot of fun! I use Shopkick whenever I go shopping for groceries, but one last thing I want to point out about it is that there are tons of ways that Shopkickers can earn rewards right from the app—no need to even go anywhere. These include kicks for watching videos, as well as instant surprise kicks from going on Easter egg hunts within the app. Users can also get amazing deals where you can earn big points and rewards by shopping on your phone at stores like Amazon, Walmart, and more! It’s all great, and super easy to use, too.

I think one parting bit of wisdom would be to just dive right in and start having fun with this!

I hope these lessons prove as useful to you as they have for me. I think one parting bit of wisdom would be to just dive right in and start having fun with this! That’s really what keeps me focused on most of my interests, to be honest. I have to love things like spin class, wine tasting, or grabbing points with Shopkick to really get into them in the first place.

One thing that always helps me get the most out of Shopkick is interacting with other Shopkickers on the app’s social media channels like Facebook and Instagram. It’s absolutely a ton of fun. You meet all kinds of other users who are always down to share tips about the app or tell jokes. Like everything else I do, I’ve also gotten really into that!

Learn more about one of the best apps to save money on groceries by diving into Shopkick. Download Shopkick now and get ready to be wowed. Welcome to the fun, Shopkicker!

If you’re as social media savvy as you are shopping savvy, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily fun and inspiration.

Image courtesy dolgachov

6 Ways to Earn Starbucks Rewards; Even in the Shopping Aisle

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6 Ways to Earn Starbucks Rewards; Even in the Shopping Aisle

My family and I recently took a vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend it. A word of advice, though. There’s basically two parts of the city—the newer area to the north where all the super fancy resorts are and the older part of the city where the resorts are still very nice but you’re just so much closer to the quaint little downtown area. My family and I stayed near the old downtown. Where—surprise, surprise—they have a nice big Starbucks just like home!

And good thing, too. I swear, I don’t know about you but these days I need my coffee, flat whites, and lattes or I literally just cannot think about my day—even when I’m on vacation! I just love Starbucks so much. You know what else I also love? Saving money! That’s why today I’d like to share with you six great ways I’ve found to earn Starbucks rewards. A flat white here and a cup of coffee there might seem small to some, but when you go to Starbucks as much as I do, those savings might just add up to enough to take another great getaway to sunny Puerto Vallarta!

So, get ready, because we’re going to cover a lot of ground here with these tips. They range from making sure you get the most out of your Starbucks membership to watching out for promotions at stores that offer free Starbucks gift cards to—my personal favorite—using third-party shopping apps that reward you for your everyday shopping activities. That’s a lot, I know, but don’t get tired yet. Grab your latte of choice, and let’s dive into some ways to earn Starbucks rewards!

1. Ways to Earn Starbucks Rewards: Sign Up

The first step to getting the most out of any rewards program is to actually start participating in it. This sounds obvious, I know, but I’m consistently surprised when I talk to friends who love Starbucks and just haven’t bothered to sign up for Starbucks Rewards!

Crazy, I know.

So, for the uninitiated, here’s how to get started on your quest to learn how to earn Starbucks Rewards:

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Add a Gift Card

After you are signed up and you officially have your account, you have to get a Starbucks gift card to connect your profile, too. Don’t worry though, it’s not like you have to sit around and wait for someone to buy one for you, no. You can just go to Starbucks and get one of the gift cards at the counter, even if you don’t have any money on it to start.

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Sign Up for the Program

It should go without saying that the first step in how to earn Starbucks Rewards is to sign up for the Starbucks Rewards program. You can do this by creating an account online after downloading the app.

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Use It

Again, this is obvious but it’s also incredibly important. It is going to be very hard to earn Starbucks Rewards if you just download the app, link it to a gift card, and then forget all about it. No, you have to earn rewards, and you do that by making Starbucks purchases, which for me is no problem at all.

2. Ways to Earn Starbucks Rewards: Do Your Homework

The next step on our quest toward the best ways to earn Starbucks Rewards is to make sure that you’ve done your homework and learned all you can about how the program actually works. It’s like I tell my kids, doing your homework is the start of your success. This certainly applies to the best ways to earn Starbucks Rewards. I mean, how can you use something as effectively as possible if you don’t have a thorough and nuanced grasp of how it works? I’d argue that you can’t.

Anyway, let’s talk now about how the program works, some of its ins and outs, and the basics of how you should be using it. Basically, you get two stars for every dollar that you spend on Starbucks, regardless of what you’re buying. You can then trade those stars in for free food and drinks, which, let’s be honest, is what this whole thing is all about! One of the most useful things to know about are the rewards program levels. There are two of them, and below you’ll find more info about each.

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Green Level Membership

To be a Green Level member, all you have to do is earn a single star through the Starbucks Rewards program. That’s it. One star. Just go spend a dollar at Starbucks and you’re in. What this then enables you to do is take advantage of things like birthday rewards, paying through your Starbucks app, ordering ahead, getting free in-store refills, and being eligible for member events and offers. It basically creates a whole new Starbucks experience!

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Gold Membership

Once you’ve earned 300 stars, you can then become a Gold Level member, which includes all of the green-level membership perks and then some. That extra and then some includes being able to participate in monthly double-star days (which are exactly what they sound like, days that you earn double stars), a personalized gold card, and a reward (think free food and drinks) for every 125 stars. Woo!

 

3. Ways to Earn Starbucks Rewards: Do Even More Homework

Now that we’ve done some homework and become experts on the gold and green level perks, you know what it’s time for? That’s right…even more homework! Basically, to really learn the best ways to earn Starbucks Rewards, you have to be an outright expert on the program! Don’t worry, it’s actually pretty exciting when you start to think about all the perks and rewards that are soon coming your way, I know that’s how most of my friends who I convince to sign up for the program feel.

So, with that in mind let’s take a look at some of the most frequently asked questions that those same friends have when I first introduce them to the Starbucks Rewards program.

Q. Is this program free?

A: You bet it is.

Q: I like the sound of that Double-Star Day…how do I know when those are?

A: Double-Star Days happen once a month without fail, but the exact days are always a surprise! But they do a good job of alerting their members. All you really have to do is make sure that you opt-in to receive Starbucks Rewards emails.

Q: How do I make sure I’m using the program every time I go to a Starbucks?

A: This one is super easy. Remember that gift card you tied to your account way back when you were first signing up? Well, you just make sure that you use that each and every time you go to Starbucks by loading money onto it and then using it to pay when you check out.

Q: What if someone gives me a gift card, can I still use that and get my rewards?

A: First of all, you have some great friends and family if they’re getting you Starbucks gift cards! Second, you definitely can. The program allows you to connect more than one Starbucks gift card to your account.

Q: Do my stars expire if I don’t use them?

A: Yes, I’m told that they expire one year after you earn them if you’re a green member who doesn’t reach gold status, and I’m also told that the stars you earn toward your free food and beverages as a gold member will expire six months after you earn them. I say I’m told because I’ve personally never held onto stars long enough to find out if this is true. I do, of course, go to Starbucks a ton (have I mentioned that?), but it’s also easy to keep stars from expiring because the program uses your older stars first.

 

4. Ways to Earn Starbucks Rewards: Get a Credit Card with Rewards Points

Phew, that was a lot of homework! I think you’ve earned a chance to move onto some advice that doesn’t require such intense study. Our next tip for ways to earn Starbucks Rewards doesn’t require knowing as many details as the first few have. In fact, this one simply involves signing up for a Starbucks Rewards Visa Card.

What’s a Starbucks Rewards Visa Card? That’s a natural question. It’s basically a normal credit card that rewards its holders for making purchases with it by giving them more stars for the Starbucks Rewards program. What that means is that every time you go to the movies, shop for groceries (more on this later), and buy gas, you’re getting more stars that you can apply toward getting free Starbucks. It’s a beautiful thing.

 

5. Ways to Earn Starbucks Rewards: Shop for Starbucks Outside of Starbucks

Speaking of grocery shopping, you can also earn Starbucks Rewards stars by purchasing Starbucks products when you’re not actually shopping at Starbucks. To do this, you just have to buy Starbucks branded products when you’re out shopping for groceries. This list of products includes things like K-Cups, roast and ground Starbucks coffee, and the Starbucks Via Instant line, as well as any Starbucks chilled coffee drinks and other beverages, including my personal favorite, the Starbucks Frappuccino.

The logistics of actually logging these points work a bit differently though since you obviously can’t pay for your bill at your local grocery store with a Starbuck gift card. So, what you need to do to receive points is enter the Star Code that comes on the products’ packaging or visit Starbucks-Stars.com to upload your receipt with proof of purchases. Easy!

6. Ways to Earn Starbucks Rewards: Use Shopkick

Staying on the subject of grocery shopping for the last of our best ways to earn Starbucks gift cards, I want to talk now about this app called Shopkick. If I had to pick a favorite way to earn Starbucks Rewards, this one would definitely be it. How it works is that Shopkick gives you points for the things you do whenever you go out shopping, things like walking into stores, going down aisles browsing products, and making purchases. You can then trade those points in for free money that goes onto your Starbucks gift card, which you can, of course, then use at Starbucks, earning more stars in the process and essentially doubling your rewards!

See? This is why it’s the best of all our ways to earn Starbucks Rewards, after you’ve familiarized yourself with how the program works, of course. And, yes, I know the topic today is Starbucks, but I feel obligated to also point out that Shopkick is one of the best smartphone apps that pays you money you can also use at other stores. It’s versatile that way, which is part of what makes it my favorite, too. The last part is that using Shopkick is fun! All my friends I’ve introduced it to agree, using Shopkick turns every trip to the store into a fun scavenger hunt for points, which makes it easy to consistently use the app and maximize your values.

So, there you have it. You now have everything you need when it comes to figuring out the best ways to earn Starbucks Rewards, whether you’re making your daily Starbucks run or taking a trip to somewhere as tropical and glamorous as Puerto Vallarta.

That’s part of why I think it’s so important to take advantage of this program. Coffee makes life work (for me, anyway), and Starbucks is the coffee shop with the most locations scattered all throughout the world. Isn’t it time for you to jump in and start saving?

Get one of the best free smartphone apps that you can start using now to earn Starbucks rewards. Download Shopkick’s free app today and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with a free, smartphone app sidekick.

And, if you love social media as much as you love your coffee, join Shopkick on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for a little daily shopping inspiration.

Back to School Savings

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Although we all may want the long days of summer to last all year, there is one major perk to going back to school: shopping! When I was a student, back to school shopping was such a highlight that I always chose a day during the week, wrote it down in my planner and circled it, and then started my very own countdown.

Before my back to school shopping day, I would review all of the supplies I needed (and every last thing I was convinced I should add), tally up my budget, and plan my day based on which store I wanted to visit first and which store I wanted to save until last. Whether I was prepping to go back to high school or mentally preparing for another year of college, back to school shopping always felt like its very own end of summer holiday.

Though I may not be heading back to class, I still look forward to the season every year because it’s a chance to offer my tried and true back to school shopping tips and tricks! And, they’re even better now thanks to Shopkick! Let’s review a few of my favorite retailers for back to school shopping and what I recommend purchasing below.

eBags

I cannot be the only one who opts to analyze every last feature a backpack has to offer. In high school, that meant determining if the backpack offered enough support for my back and shoulders as I carried books and binders for four classes everyday across two campuses (we didn’t have lockers). In college, I was still concerned about support, but I needed the added feature of a safe, padded spot for my laptop. eBags.com has so many fantastic options for backpacks perfect for high school (JanSport was my go-to!) and those suited for college (North Face was a favorite, but I’ve heard fantastic reviews about Tumi!).

Also, make sure to take a peek at all of the suitcases and duffels available through eBags. They’re wonderful to use when moving onto campus, and a great suitcase will serve you well as you travel home, go on vacation, and even study abroad throughout college.

HSN

If you have yet to peruse HSN for back to school shopping, be warned: you’re going to add so many great pieces to your list! Outside of scheduling classes and making sure I had the correct edition of all of my required books, my computer was always my top concern in college. You can purchase a new laptop or desktop computer through HSN because they carry all of the top brands, like Apple, HP, and Dell. Plus, if you’re in charge of bringing the TV, you can add a new flat screen to your cart too. Outside of electronics, you can also stock up on kitchen supplies for your dorm or apartment (HSN has small appliances, kitchen tools, and even plates, silverware, and glasses at the ready). And, they carry such fun lines of clothing, and they have makeup. It’s like one stop shopping for back to school!

Jet

Can we all agree there is nothing quite like new school supplies? Jet has an amazing selection of every last thing you will need for class – binders, pencils, pens, notebooks, highlighters, and even backpacks. Plus, their team has curated a special section for high school! Even though wandering through the aisles is fun, shopping online with Jet is so much more efficient! Plus, when you use Shopkick, you’re saving money on your supplies. Shopkick and school supplies – it’s a dream combination!

Amazon

I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t shop on Amazon! The deals are incredible (and even better when you shop with Shopkick to earn kicks!), and you cannot beat the variety. Rather than simply adding all of your usual purchases to your cart, I highly suggest pausing to shop their collections from Ella Moon and Mae. The pieces are quality basics, trendy while still feeling classic, and many can be dressed up for a presentation or dressed down for a typical day in class. Anything that can serve double duty is a must in my book!

Also, let’s talk about study breaks. You will 100% need them, and breaks will help increase your productivity and prevent you from burning out. Reading for fun is one of the most underrated hobbies, and I cannot recommend reading a few pages every day from a great author you enjoy on your Kindle. Another option? Audible! Whether you’re riding the bus, train, or subway, driving your car, or walking in between classes, listening to an audio book is a great way to disconnect from schoolwork even if it’s just for a few minutes at a time. Stay refreshed so you can be your best!

Boxed

Let’s talk about food! The best thing I ever did when I was in high school and college was purchase in bulk. My parents and I would review what I planned to bring for lunch and what I wanted to enjoy as a snack once I got home, and then we would shop together to purchase things in bulk (my choices rarely wavered!). That ritual carried over into college, and I would have definitely shopped through Boxed! Rather than visiting stores in person, you can simply shop online and have all of your favorite foods shipped directly to you. Pro tip: get your roommates in on the game so you can all shop together and save by earning kicks through Shopkick!

Where are you shopping for back to school? What’s at the top of your list?