The Wall St. Journal recently profiled Six Flags' strategy to court families and offer more kid-friendly entertainment.
After my purchase, a company texted me a message calling me a VIP and offered me a discount on my next purchase.
Dollars & Sense
How businesses keep customers coming back after they make a purchase.
Six Flags is updating its theme parks to encourage families to spend more time there and visit more often, according to this past weekend’s The Wall St. Journal. The theme park's president, Jeffrey Siebert, says that the nightly fireworks show is what the industry calls a “kiss good night.” After park-goers have spent the day spending, they perceive the show as a free, post-purchase gift with no strings attached. The fireworks thereby help the customer leave fulfilled and encourage the patron to return and refer the park to friends.
Other types of businesses are using post-purchase 'kisses' like Six Flags. I recently bought a ticket for white water rafting, and afterwards the company texted me a message calling me a “VIP” and offering me 10% off a future purchase. That 'kiss' made me feel good. (Apparently, the rafting company ‘kisses’ everyone as this text is likely sent to every customer.)
This 'kiss' strategy leads us to consider how Shop Local's platform treats a shopper after their purchase. We recently updated the design of the email that our software sends to a customer after they make a purchase. (This is the order confirmation email). The email now displays pictures of the registry couple (if applicable) and products purchased. This design update helps the customer perceive the shopping experience in a positive manner.
What nice things can our software or the merchant do as a 'kiss'? For example, if the shopper didn’t select gift wrapping when checking out, the merchant could offer it for free after the fact. Imitating the rafting company, the store could call the customer a VIP and offer a coupon code.
Homework:
After making a purchase online or experiencing a paid event, please look for the goodbye ‘kiss.'
Read the full The Wall St. Journal article about Six Flags:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/six-flags-texas-roller-coasters-170180a8
Tags:
WSJ
six flags
goodbye kiss
marketing
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