After the rollout of the Shop the Battlefords app last year, the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce is considering what to do for 2017.
While no final decisions have been announced yet, a rebranding is one of the options pitched to directors.
A proposal was presented to the Chamber board March 21 to rebrand the app as “Chamber Market the Battlefords” for 2017.
The presentation was made by Nathan Puffalt of NP Marketing Direction of North Battleford, who had consulted on the Shop the Battlefords app that launched last year.
The difference this time is the app would be rebranded and would work year-round instead of just during the holiday season.
Puffalt provided numbers to Chamber directors about the Shop the Battlefords campaign that ran for 62 days, from Oct. 18 to Dec. 18.
It involved 58 businesses and $354,620 was spent using the app, for a total of $9,332 average per store.
There were 793 users of the app, who had 1,301 unique hits and 275 were shared on Facebook.
The campaign was an intensive effort, with a steep learning curve, Puffalt acknowledged.
“Obviously it was more work than expected,” said Puffalt. Training the staff at the businesses about the app was another issue, and pricing was another issue identified, as it was high for the budgets that stores had already set for the holiday season.
That issue would be addressed with the rebranded app.
“The aim is to go for higher volume over price and give a better value for the businesses that are participating,” said Puffalt.
For 2017, Puffalt pitched an app that would be a regular ongoing program instead of the two-month program that ran last year. The Chamber would be mixed into the name of the app and included in the websites and material, and they would help promote the app as well.
Benefits touted were that it would instantly reach nearly 800 users who have the Shop the Battlefords app already. It was also said to be as cost-effective and affordable and would communicate to all generations.
For users, the app would work the same as before. They would go to a store and purchase a product, the number of points would be entered at the till and points would be earned by the customer that would go towards prizes.
There are three levels of pricing proposed for businesses: an “essential” plan for $97 which would include full listing in the app, business listing, print promotional material, access to user data, local support seven days a week and also a new in-app catalogue feature to showcase special products.
The proposed “connected” plan for $189 per month would include additional perks, such as one text notification per month sent to all leads as well as a 30-second video production. Both would be new features to the app.
The last category is the “influential” plan for $479 per month geared to those with large marketing budgets. This plan would include two 30-minute Facebook Live on Location productions per year and more opportunities for businesses to promote their products and deals.
Key strategies for the app that were identified include major prizes, special events and “double points days,” as well as ability to earn points at charities and non-profits.
Puffalt believed the changes would “give a better shot of success for the app itself” as well as providing “more visibility for businesses in the community.”
The next step for the Chamber is to gather feedback and for a committee to report back, to decide how the Chamber will proceed on the proposal.
