CustomerRetentionthroughImmersivePuzzleFun:MigrosLeveragesGamificationwiththeOnlineGame"M-Escape"
Zurich/Hamburg, June 26, 2023 – Those who enjoy investigating and solving puzzles are currently in for a treat at Migros, Switzerland's largest retailer. With "M-Escape – Haunting at Migros", the company is launching an innovative concept for a collection promotion that connects brick-and-mortar retail with the digital world. The special feature: the motivation to collect arises solely from the desire to continue playing.
"With M-Escape, we are taking the path of integrating a digital game into a loyalty promotion for the first time, tapping into the current escape room trend," says Melani Zadro, Project Manager for Promotions & Activation at Migros. "With the consistently digital approach, we once again underline our innovative spirit."
The game leads customers of the Swiss retail company through a digital escape room. The story is set in a remote Migros branch rumored to be haunted. Divided into four chapters, users are invited to gather clues, solve picture and logic puzzles, or decipher messages. The first chapter is free to play. Players can unlock the subsequent chapters by collecting digital stamps, which are earned for every 10 Swiss francs spent in Migros supermarkets. This way, Migros innovatively ties customer loyalty with entertainment. As an additional incentive, everyone who successfully completes M-Escape participates in a prize draw. To play M-Escape, a Migros account and participation in the Migros loyalty program Cumulus are required. The target audience is primarily young adults aged 25 to 45. The concept and interface design are credited to Mutabor, while the technical development, illustrations, and level design are handled by the agency Demodern.
"M-Escape is not just an escape game; it's an experience with depth that transfers the immersive world of escape rooms into Migros' digital ecosystem," says Raphael Jung, Project Manager for Digital Campaigning & Promotions at Migros. "The mix of an exciting adventure, fascinating puzzles, the integration of real Migros touchpoints, and the connection to the physical store make M-Escape an innovative and unique project." Jung is convinced: "At Migros, we value our customers' loyalty and always want to give something back. We have fully succeeded in doing so with M-Escape."
Collection Promotion: Digital & Innovative
"Migros has been setting standards in retail marketing for years by evolving alongside its customers," says Burkhard Müller, Digital Chief at Mutabor. "M-Escape breaks with the learned rules of collection promotions and involves customers deeply, extensively, and digitally. The project demonstrates how successfully gamification can contribute to loyalty."
"M-Escape is an outstanding example of technical innovation and creative implementation," says Alexander El-Meligi, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Demodern. "The combination of state-of-the-art technology, 3D concept art, and sound design enables a comprehensive, immersive, and entertaining gaming experience directly in the mobile browser. For me, M-Escape is already a benchmark in digital marketing."
The promotion has successfully launched nationwide in Switzerland, and there is lively content exchange in relevant forums and on social media. The play and dwell time for customers is approximately one to two hours per chapter. M-Escape is available in the three national languages German, French, and Italian to reach all participants in Switzerland. The collection period runs until July 17, and the prize draw until mid-September. More at https://escape.migros.ch/de/es...