What is the best way to connect with customers? This “simple question” is almost always at the top of businesses’ minds, right next to “How can we improve our profit margin?” The trick, obviously, is that there is no “easy answer” to that question. There are a million ways to connect with customers, and no two businesses have the same customer base, even if they’re “nearly identical” in the ways that matter. Recently, many companies have been attempting to “reach out to the youth” by doing things with video games like Roblox. Their goal is to try and do unique branding opportunities to make players think about checking out their brands in real life.
For some, they simply make worlds around their businesses and have fun mini-games inside for players to enjoy. Others, though, like Sam’s Club, use these worlds to offer real-world discounts if you play certain titles. On LinkedIn, Interim Chief Marketing Officer W. Joe DeMiero made a post talking about the collaboration with Roblox and how players can get special in-store discounts by playing titles like “Cake Off,” “Chained (2 Obby),” and “Paradise RP.”
“This is a bold new way to connect with the next generation of members — meeting them where they are, how they play, and delivering the savings they’ll love. Big shoutout to Leslie Shepard, MBA, Kenneth Greene, Carolyn Getches and our amazing partners GEEIQ, Roblox and Sawhorse Studios for helping us bring this to life.”
The marketing officer noted that this was a big attempt to “make memberships playable,” in reference to the famed Sam’s Club membership, which customers have to get the best deals in the store chain. It is a smart business move in the overall sense, as there are chances that players will see what Sam’s Club is doing and attempt to “cash in” on the deals being offered. Plus, in places like the United States, inflation is hitting many people hard, and that means they’re looking just as hard to find the best deals in the stores around them. Even if they’re only saving a few dollars for each trip, that’s a few dollars that they’re not spending, which can add up in the end.
How much this will help Sam’s Club in its customer base numbers is unknowable. After all, the game’s universe is massive, so there’s no guarantee that new customers will check them out or that their current customers are even in the game at all!
However, the attempt is what matters here, and it’s something that could happen with other stores going forward.
