Virtual Scavenger Hunts: A Smart Promotion for Green Retailers

EcoMom is an online retailer of green goods for moms and babies.  This is an extremely competitive space -- countless number of well-meaning folks, primarily mothers, have started online stores that carry compostable diapers, non-toxic baby shampoo, organic cotton maternity dresses, and the like. 

But EcoMom has managed to break through the pack and garner more traffic than their competitors.  How?  Most likely due to some deep pockets and a savvy, experienced, well-connected management team.  A terrific domain name (ecomom.com) doesn't hurt either.

Given the company's ability to drum up traffic, I like to keep an eye on its latest promotions.  This month, in honor of Easter (and ostensibly, Spring and Passover), EcoMom is running its annual "Egg Hunt Contest" -- a virtual scavenger hunt across its product sales pages.  To enter, you browse the EcoMom store to find the twelve products that have a decorated egg image next to it.  Once you find all twelve eggs, you send an email in to EcoMom listing the products.  Correct entries are entered into a random drawing for a $25 gift EcoMom gift certificate and three winners are selected.

Simple enough, yes?

Obviously, this kind of promotion could work well for any retailer, but it's particularly compelling for green e-stores.  Here's why:

• Lots of green products and brands are unfamiliar to consumers.  A scavenger hunt lets you introduce these unknown items and companies in a fun way.
• Since you have shoppers' attention, you can use the "marked" product page to educate them about the product or brand.  To ensure that shoppers are taking in the information, you could make a quick video about the product/brand and include the game piece (the scavenger item) at the end of the video.  That way, folks first have to watch the video before collecting/identifying the game piece.
• EcoMom used an egg for its game piece, but you could use an icon, logo, or label that highlights and reinforces the product's green feature, i.e., a recyclable, reusable or reclaimed symbol.
• On each product page, be sure to have your "share" and "like" tools ready to go (share/like on Facebook, Twitter, etc.), so you can capture your game players enthusiasm about a product, even if they aren't planning to buy it.

One of the top challenges green e-tailers face is consumers' lack of brand awareness about eco-friendly products.  I wrote previously about how using an infomercial approach is one way to counteract that lack of awareness.  Virtual scavenger hunts are another great tool.  It's an easy promotion to execute -- one that can have rich rewards both for you and your customers.