Macy’s Gives Customers 1 Million Reasons To Be Excited About Black Friday

This year Macy’s gave customers 1 million more reasons to be excited about Black Friday.

By leveraging QR codes, the retail giant gave customers a chance to get $250 each. At the close of Black Friday, Macy’s had given away $1M through QR codes.

“This year, we’re adding another level of entertainment to our highly-anticipated Black Friday doorbusters and specials,” said Martine Reardon, chief marketing officer at Macy’s.

As customers navigated through the department store, they were able to rack up digital gift codes, winning instantly via the Macy’s mobile application.

“The lure of a giveaway always spurs downloads,” according to Scott Michaels, executive vice president and partner of Atimi. “This is both for in-store and those that can’t make it there (which is an important audience as well) as giveaways support entering the contest without being there.”

The retailer got tactical and coordinated for price changes on the hour, to not only attract and keep consumers in-store but to also incentivize consumers to play multiple times and earn more chances to win. In order for customers to experience some instant wins, users had to use the Macy’s app to scan the in-store QR codes during doorbuster hours.

Customers had the chance to win a code worth $10, $25, $50 or $250 and could play up to 5 times in one hour; no purchase was necessary to enter.

With such an enticing giveaway and “gamified-crazed” customers, the obvious hope would be that Macy’s would obtain a healthy batch of loyal customers. The giveaway prompts customers to download the Macy’s mobile application to participate, allowing Macy’s to communicate with these newly obtained consumers on a regular basis. Since all that was required was to visit a store and scan a QR code, the combination of Macys app + discount could make for a promising start.

“I’m personally excited to see Black Friday turn SpongeBob yellow,” said Pam Kaufman, chief marketing officer and president Consumer Products of the Nickelodeon Group. Macy’s introduced a holiday ambassador, SpongeBob SquarePants, to help bolster Black Friday excitement. Kaufman says SpongeBob’s brand incorporates traits such as optimism and cheer, the perfect complement to Macy’s Black Friday event. SpongeBob SquarePants was featured in a special television spot that highlighted all of Macy’s Black Friday mobile promotions.

The brand also featured advertisements displaying popular items “for him” and “for her.” Right on the ad, users scanned the bar code next to the product and completed their purchase.

“As the expectation is that all consumers will have a phone on them, it’s more convenient for the shopper, as well as being much more measurable for the retailer,” says Michaels.

With that, Macy’s has really focused on mobile apps for the holidays, adding shopping list capabilities, available on mobile and tablet, and the rollout of a visual search technology to encourage users to shop on their mobile devices. The next step getting customers to take a Macy’s card and plop it into their digital wallet.​​