Case Study: How a Local Cafe Increased Foot Traffic by 30%

"The Daily Grind," a cozy, independent coffee shop, was facing a common and frustrating problem for many retail businesses: a bustling morning rush followed by a ghost town in the afternoon. Their peak hours from 7 AM to 11 AM were profitable, but the long, quiet slump from 2 PM to 4 PM was a consistent drain on resources. They needed an innovative way to bring people in during these off-peak hours without resorting to steep, margin-killing discounts. Their solution? A weekly "Bingo Break," powered by BingoTango's private game and API features.

The Challenge: Activating the Afternoon Dead Zone

The cafe's owner, Maria, had a strong social media presence but found that online engagement rarely translated into afternoon sales. Her followers loved her latte art photos, but that didn't convince them to leave their office or home for a mid-afternoon coffee. She needed a tangible reason for them to make the trip. The goal was clear: increase foot traffic during the targeted 2-4 PM window and convert those visits into sales.

The Strategy: An Exclusive, In-Store Contest with a Digital Twist

Here’s the simple yet powerful strategy Maria implemented using BingoTango:

1. **Create a Weekly Private Game:** Every Monday, Maria would use her BingoTango Sponsor dashboard to create a new game for the week. The prize was simple, cost-effective, but highly desirable for her customer base: a gift card for a week of free coffee. Crucially, she set the game type to "Private." This generated a unique Game ID and a secret API Key, ensuring the game was an exclusive event, not open to the general public.

2. **The QR Code as a Physical Gateway:** Instead of posting a link online, Maria's team printed a small, elegant sign with a QR code on it and placed it right at the cash register. The sign read: "Scan to enter our weekly free coffee giveaway! A new game every week." This QR code was the only way to get a ticket.

3. **Frictionless, API-Powered Ticket Generation:** The QR code was linked directly to BingoTango's ticket generation API. The URL was structured like this: 'https://www.bingotango.com/api/ticket/generate?gameId=GAMEID&apiKey=APIKEY&name={customer_name}&phone={customer_phone}' When a customer scanned the code, they weren't taken to a clunky login page. They were presented with a simple, clean interface asking only for their name and phone number. Upon submission, the API instantly generated a unique bingo ticket image and displayed it on their phone's screen. The customer could save the image to their phone's photo library. The entire process was seamless, taking less than 30 seconds.

4. **Closing the Loop with a Live Online Draw:** The journey that started online (with the social media announcement) and moved offline (with the in-store visit) was completed back online. Every Friday at 4:30 PM, Maria would go live on Instagram for a quick, 5-minute draw. She'd use BingoTango's "Spin the Wheel" feature to announce the winning numbers and determine the winner. This not only created a weekly appointment-to-view for her followers but also constantly reminded them about the next week's game, driving a continuous cycle of engagement.


The Measurable Results

The "Bingo Break" initiative was a resounding success within the first month.

• **30% Increase in Afternoon Foot Traffic:** Maria's analytics showed a clear and consistent spike in customer visits during the targeted 2-4 PM window from Monday to Friday.
• **Increased Sales:** While not everyone who came in to scan the code made a purchase, a significant percentage did. The incremental revenue from these additional sales far outweighed the cost of the weekly prize.
• **Building a Loyal Community:** The game became a talking point. Regulars would discuss their ticket numbers, and new customers had a fun, interactive reason to visit for the first time. The weekly live draw fostered a sense of community and shared excitement.
• **Cost-Effective and Trackable Marketing:** The total cost of the campaign was the prize (a week of coffee, with a wholesale cost of just a few dollars) and the nominal BingoTango platform fee. In return, Maria gained direct, measurable foot traffic and a valuable list of customer names and phone numbers for future SMS-based promotions (with their consent).

This case study is a perfect example of "phygital" marketing done right. By leveraging BingoTango's unique features, The Daily Grind was able to create a fun, low-cost promotion that solved a real business problem, turning digital followers into loyal, in-store customers.