Top 10 Retail Contest Ideas

Posted by Tina Hoang

This Thanksgiving weekend, Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday deals brought an astounding number of motivated customers to retailers across the US. According to the National Retail Federation, this year’s Black Friday weekend broke records for being the busiest ever: 247 million people shopped online and in stores from Thursday to Saturday with online sales surpassing billion for the first time and mobile commerce was up 128% while Cyber Monday logged a 25.6% jump in online sales over the the same time period in 2011.

How do you create this kind of excitement and demand for your brand during the rest of the holiday season and throughout the year? Think about what drives and motivates so many people over Black Friday and Cyber Monday: it’s all about promotions.

######Getty Images via Business Insider

With the surge of online sales and the growing role of mobile in consumer purchasing process, it has become clear that retailers need a strong online presence, mobile-friendly brand experiences and checkout points in order to stay competitive.

Here are ten proven examples of how top retailers and brands have used promotions like online giveaways, sweepstakes and contests and the power of social media to build brand affinity and boost sales throughout the year. Yes, all of these Strutta-powered promotions are mobile-friendly!

##1. Crate and Barrel

Ultimate Wedding Contest

Talk about measurable social media ROI. Crate and Barrel gained 5 million in gift registry creation through two turns of this social media-driven photo contest.View the case study.

The Ask: Submit three photos, answer three specific brand-related questions and create a gift registry with Crate and Barrel with a minimum of ,000 worth of items.

Prizes: 19 total; 1 grand prize winning couple got 00,000 to live out their dream wedding with help from a celebrity wedding planner; 1 runner-up got ,500 to spend at Crate and Barrel; 1 second runner-up got ,500 to spend at Crate and Barrel; 15 couples earned honorable mentions and ,000 to spend at Crate and Barrel; the top voted couple got ,500 to spend at Crate and Barrel. As a bonus and gesture of thanks, Crate and Barrel gave gift cards to all entrants when the contest was over.

Selection Process: Voting and Judging; the 100 top voted entries were named finalists and a panel of judges selected the winners based on a set of criteria.

Channel: Custom Microsite Contest

##2. Contour Australia

ROAM FREE PHOTO COMP sponsored by Quicksliver and FCS

Contour boasts the world’s first and lightest wearable HD sports cameras which are ideal for adventure sports. They reached out to surfers and beach lovers across Australia to find the best surfing & coastal photos. The 1,072 gorgeous submitted shots brought in 114,564 page views and nearly 15,000 votes. Go to the contest site.

The Ask: Like-gated voting; Like Seventh Generation and contribute to your favorite charity simply by voting.

Prizes: The charity with the most votes received 5,000, second place received 5,000 and third place received 0,000.

Selection Process: Voting only.

Channel: Facebook Contest App

##3. Seventh Generation

Show You Care Today Canada

Seventh Generation aligned itself with three Canadian charities and had its community help choose how to allocate 0,000. Seventh Generation motivated its community to act collectively and contribute to causes that they cared about. 85% of the people who voted chose to share this Facebook campaign with their friends via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ or email. Go to the contest site.

The Ask: Like-gated voting; Like Seventh Generation and contribute to your favorite charity simply by voting.

Prizes: The charity with the most votes received 5,000, second place received 5,000 and third place received 0,000.

Selection Process: Voting only.

Channel: Facebook Contest App

##4. Native Shoes

Keep It Lite Contest

Native Shoes collected photo entries on Twitter and Instagram through hashtag #keepitlite, uploaded entries using Strutta’s Voting Gallery and had fans vote on their favorites on their Facebook Page. See the case study.

The Ask: Tag photos of you doing fun things in your Native Shoes with #keepitlite on Twitter or Instagram to participate.

Prizes: 3 total; first prize winner got shoes for a year (12 pairs), second prize winner got shoes for 6 months (6 pairs) and third prize winner got shoes for 3 months (3 pairs).

Selection Process: Voting only.

Channel: Mighty Apps - Facebook Voting Gallery App

##5. Jewelry Information Center

Ultimate Proposal Contest sponsored by Sandals Resorts

Jewelry Information Center runs contests regularly through its website. This campaign which was targeted at increasing website traffic and connecting with recently engaged couples drew 261 entries and over 35,000 page views. Go to Facebook Contest App.

The Ask: Submit up to three photos that remind you of summer.

Prizes: 4 total; 1 grand prize winner got a Sony Cyber-Shot Camera and Eye-Fi Pro products with a value of 80; 3 runners-up received Eye-Fri products with values ranging from 0 to 00.

Selection Process: Voting only.

Channel: Facebook Contest App

##6. Top Floor

Win a Proenza Schouler iPad Case

Online fashion retailer Top Floor keeps its Facebook fans hyped by offering discounts and quick giveaways each month. Last month’s sweepstakes saw close to a 100% conversion on visits to entries. Go to Top Floor’s Facebook Page.

The Ask: Like-gated Sweepstakes; Like Top Floor and fill out the entry form.

Prizes: 1 total; 1 Proenza Schouler iPad Case.

Selection Process: Random.

Channel: Facebook Sweepstakes App

##7. bop it!

The bop it! Great Giveaway

Leading up to Christmas, bop it! is giving away thousands of dollars worth of prizes on Facebook to its bop it! fans. This giveaway worked in a fun game: entrants had to identify how many bop it! smashes were hidden in the photo. Go to bop it!’s Facebook Page.

The Ask: Sweepstakes and game; count the bop it! smashes and fill out the entry form.

Prizes: 1 total; 1 received a bop it! smash of their own.

Selection Process: Random.

Channel: Facebook Sweepstakes App

##8. Surface Hair

Get the Look Photo Contest

Surface Hair called on professional hair stylists to upload a photo of their best look using Surface Hair products. The 3 top viral entries were shared across Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and e-mail and brought in over 10,000 visits to the contest site.

The Ask: Submit a photo of your best look using Surface Hair products and tell how the look was achieved and which Surfair Hair products were used.

Prizes: 1 total; 1 grand prize winner got an all expenses paid trip to the Premiere Show in Orlando.

Selection Process: Voting and Judging; the 10 top voted entries moved to a judging round where four industry judges determined the grand prize winner.

Channel: Facebook Sweepstakes App

##9. Eye-Fi

Essence of Summer Contest

Eye-Fi, an SD card that allows people to upload pictures from their cameras to their mobile devices on the go, ran a photo contest, naturally, during summer about summer which made participating in the contest a no-brainer for Eye-Fi fans. Over 600 photographers submitted their photos while 6,433 Eye-Fi fans voted for their favorites.Go to Facebook Contest App.

The Ask: Submit up to three photos that remind you of summer.

Prizes: 4 total; 1 grand prize winner got a Sony Cyber-Shot Camera and Eye-Fi Pro products with a value of 80; 3 runners-up received Eye-Fri products with values ranging from 0 to 00.

Selection Process: Voting only.

Channel: Facebook Contest App

##10. SofLens

The Daily Score Sweepstakes

SofLens, a company that offers daily disposable contact lenses, gave 15 prizes away each day over four months. On average, over 2500 entries were submitted every day.

The Ask: Sweepstakes; fill out the entry form.

Prizes: 1,831 total; 1 grand prize winner got a ,000 school scholarship or cash; 15 daily winners over 122 days received a SofLens tote bag.

Selection Process: Random.

Channel: Iframe Contest - Embedded in SofLens’s website.

We hope these retail contest ideas help jumpstart your social media campaign strategies! Ready to get your year-long success plan going with coupons, sweepstakes and contest promotions? See how Strutta can help or contact us to see how we can help you!