Social media changes the local community's shopping habits

Botany Shoppers Given the Opportunity to Point and Shoot – Their Own Prize That Is…

AMP Capital Shopping Centres recently asked 257 respondents in East Auckland a broad range of questions to understand how they combine social media with their shopping experiences.

The survey revealed that shoppers regularly take to social media to find out or talk about shopping and 74.7% of those surveyed said they use Facebook or Twitter for this purpose. Botany Town Centre has embraced this trend and regularly interacts with the 4,007 ‘likes’ on the centre’s Facebook page.

“Facebook provides us with a great way to connect directly with the local community,” says Botany Town Centre senior marketing manager Desiree Clark. “As it is instant, we can easily give the community information on events, activities and trends at the centre. It also gives us the opportunity to hear what the community would like from us.”

Of those surveyed, 51.4% of shoppers follow a particular brand or shopping centre on Facebook, so the audience at stake is huge. With shoppers embracing social media in this big way, Botany Town Centre has developed a campaign to run for the month of February called Pic Your Prize.

The competition will directly use social media as it invites shoppers to upload photos to the Botany Town Centre website (www.botanytowncentre.co.nz/picyourprize) and share via sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. It is a simple concept – shoppers simply come into the centre and take a photo (using a Smartphone or camera) of something they would like to win, up to the value of $500. This is then uploaded to be entered into the draw.

Desiree Clark sees the competition as another great way to interact with the local community and Botany visitors through social media. “With this initiative it is up to the shopper to select what they’d like to win. It’s easy too – all they have to do is take a picture of the prize they are coveting and share. Botany Town Centre is proud to be embracing the changing face of technology within the shopping offering.”

With a minimum of 20 prizes (with a value of up to $500) available, shoppers can enter up to one photo a day, giving them many chances to win. There are also added incentives of extra prize entries for shoppers when they share their photo on designated social media channels. More information on the campaign can be found at www.botanytowncentre.co.nz/picyourprize.

About the AMPCSC Research
Data was collected in November 2012. Information was gathered using a detailed online questionnaire. This was sent to a list of customers of the major shopping centres managed by AMP Capital Shopping Centres in Auckland, Christchurch and Mount Maunganui. A total of 700 responses were received from a range of urban, suburban and rural households.

Based on the data received, the sample is representative of typical mall-shopping households in New Zealand. Overall, the sample fairly represents the attitudes of middle- to upper-income New Zealand households.

Pic Your Prize Fact Sheet
• Customers take a photo of any product they’d like to win at the centre (up to $500 in value), then upload to www.botanytowncentre.co.nz/picyourprize via Smartphone or computer;
• The customer will then be required to fill-in an online form to submit the entry. Information needed are customer details, product and retailer details, and item price;
• Once uploaded, shoppers will be given the option to post the competition to Facebook, Tweet about it, or pin to Pinterest. Each customer that does this will be given a unique code. If a friend uses your link on social media to enter the competition and wins, you too, will win your selected prize;
• A minimum of 20 prizes (with a value of up to $500 each) are available for shoppers to win at Botany Town Centre;
• Visit www.botanytowncentre.co.nz/picyourprize for full terms and conditions of the Pic your Prize campaign.

About Botany Town Centre
Situated approximately 19km southeast of Auckland, Botany Town Centre is one of New Zealand’s largest retail developments, with over 176 specialty stores. Its retailers range from Dick Smith Electronics to Rebel Sports and a full complement of banks, fashion stores, and New Zealand’s most popular café and restaurant chains. The centre includes one of Auckland’s largest Farmers stores and a New World supermarket. The centre provides diverse entertainment choices from the La Premiere at Hoyts Cinema to the award-winning Cock and Bull pub. In addition to its retail offering, Botany Town Centre is a community hub for other services including the Botany Library, the Community Constable, and a variety of medical and health providers.

ENDS

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