Smart marketers are winning with Competitive Socializing
April 29, 2023
With high satisfaction levels in so many categories, product trial is often the only way to get customers to switch brands. But motivating trial isn’t easy.
People don’t enjoy physical retail shopping like they did before Amazon came along. So what should marketers do?
Post pandemic, people want to socialize in-person and create fun, social content. This is what’s driving interest in “eatertainment” spaces with updated, physical games like pickleball, darts, skeeball, shuffleboard, etc.
Chicken N Pickle. Flight Club. AceBounce. The commercial real estate industry classifies these businesses as “Competitive Socializing.”
Now sports and enthusiast brands are taking advantage of competitive socializing, to create fun trial experiences. Here are 3 examples:
DICK'S Sporting Goods
DICK’S recently announced plans to expand their new House of Sport concept stores from 3 to more than 10 in the US, by 2024. Described as “a place to connect and play,” each store has dedicated interactive spaces including a synthetic turf field, a climbing wall, a batting cage, and golf hitting bays equipped with TrackMan simulators.
Stores invite customers to rent the spaces with friends and try out gear. Or customers can attend scheduled events including for example, run club meetups, hockey games and virtual golf tournaments.
Topgolf Callaway Brands
As you’re likely aware, TopGolf features a driving range game with electronically tracked golf balls and automatically scored shots. Of course it also offers an extensive menu, drinks and loungey seating.
What you might not know is that Callaway Golf – a leading golf club manufacturer – bought TopGolf a few years ago. So, every one of the 90+ TopGolf locations is exclusively equipped with Callaway clubs for rental, at no charge. And if guests like the clubs, they can order a new set and have them shipped for free.
Porsche AG
Porsche opened their first Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, in 2015, and after rave reviews, they’ve added 6 more. Each location features an upscale café, a showroom, a merch store and a viewable performance-tuning workshop.
But people really come to compete. Visitors virtually race against each other in a Simulator Lab. Or they can rent the latest models and clock lap times on an elaborate skills development track, while receiving instruction from highly trained professionals.
It's worth noting that DICK’S, Callaway and Porsche are selling plenty of merchandise that isn’t essential to the game or sport.
Are there any games your customers love to play? Why not take advantage of competitive socializing to get your product into new customers’ hands?
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