By Ahmet Usta, Elyt.net, and Evrim Şirin, Fiba Commercial Properties
The idea behind it
The main idea of the campaign we conducted at İnegöl Shopping Mall was to bring visitors together with NFT technology and, while using this technology, create customer loyalty to encourage more visits and shopping at the mall.
How the program works
The logic of the program is quite simple. Customers who made purchases came to the information desk of the shopping mall and presented their receipts. After verifying the receipts, they were given a special card with a QR code that corresponded to the amount of their purchases. By scanning the QR code on the card using their mobile phones on ELYT.net, they instantly created an account and won various gift vouchers and souvenir NFT cards. With the vouchers earned in single or multiple transactions, they could obtain different gifts from the mall’s information desk while also owning a limited number of souvenir NFTs.
The Metaverse – A big need for knowledge
Without a doubt: The Metaverse is the megatrend of this year and the years to come. This became more than evident at the 2022 MAPIC meeting of the ACROSS Advisory Board. At the same time, hardly any other topic makes even the most experienced industry experts feel so insecure. NFTs, avatars, holograms, and blockchains – are all part of the Metaverse, a network of offline and virtual worlds and buzzwords in the industry. At the same time, the industry is just taking baby steps in their daily work to come up with metaverse solutions. What real solutions for the placemaking industry should look like and, even more so, how these are implemented has so far remained largely vague. Last but not least, the discussion in Cannes shows that the industry needs more knowledge about the mechanisms, opportunities, and examples of concrete applications. To achieve this, ACROSS has teamed up with Elyt.net, Finberg, and FİBA Commercial Properties to create an editorial series to provide first-hand content on how shopping places can benefit from the Metaverse. In the first part Ahmet Usta, the co-founder of Elyt.net, “translates” the metaverse for our industries.
The challenges
The fact that some of the shopping mall customers had no prior knowledge about technologies like blockchain and NFT was not a problem. On the contrary, the preconceptions regarding negative developments in this field concerned us. However, since the NFTs were distributed as gifts, this concern was quickly eliminated. Although not significant, some customers had difficulty scanning the QR code with their mobile smartphones because of the hardware or software limitations at that moment. Our colleagues at the information desk promptly resolved such issues and provided assistance. Those who witnessed the functioning and simplicity of the program were pleased to receive their gifts.
The expectations
Our main expectation was to test and see the results of innovative technology in the field, and in that regard, we achieved significant success and gained valuable knowledge. Obtaining quick access to customers’ mobile phone and contact information while ensuring compliance with legal frameworks was an important outcome for us. Another expectation was for customers to make purchases at different times, but the program was so well received that they immediately received their gifts on the same day, either through high-value transactions or multiple purchases. As a result, the program, which we initially expected to run for a month, was completed within three days. The interest in the program was unbelievably high.
Feedback from the customers
It’s wonderful to hear that all our visitors were 100% satisfied with the program. The gifts they received through the program were a significant gain for them, but being part of an application involving an innovative technology like NFT and being the first of its kind in the world also excited them. We have received notifications expressing their anticipation for the continuation of such programs.
Feedback from the retailers
It’s interesting to note that in our initial field application, we did not collaborate specifically with individual stores within the shopping mall for this campaign. However, since the campaign targeted the general visitor base of the mall without making any store differentiations, brands were happy to refer their customers to us. We believe they would also be interested in participating in future programs.
Plans based on this material
We have achieved a world first. We have learned many things in the field and are using them to improve the ELYT platform immediately and be better prepared for the next shopping mall application. We are specifically preparing to offer more features for shopping malls to collect customer communication information in the field. Stepping into the world of NFTs is an exciting experience for customers. We focus on transforming this experience into a longer-term interaction, not just limited to gift rewards tied to purchases. We aim for the stores and brands within the shopping mall to be planned and integral parts of this process. We have taken the first step into a vast and new world, and there is much to explore. We are very excited about this journey.
İnegöl Shopping Mall – the customer journey steps
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