K&L Distributors Simplifies Customer Raffle with Text Messaging

Taking in-store contests mobile.

Founded in 1940, K&L Distributors is one of the premier and most diverse organizations in the alcohol beverage industry. The company was founded in Washington but expanded to cover Oregon, Alaska, Montana and Califorina.

The Challenge

As part of its commitment to customer service, K&L Distributors runs in-store promotions at partner stores. Shoppers are given the opportunities to enter drawings and win prizes, such as trips and high-dollar merchandise. Previously, the client organized their personal information on a tear-off contact form, which they dropped in boxes on-site. Some K&L clients requested that the contests be handled electronically.

“We decided to use [mobile giveaways] because it’s a lot cleaner, you don’t have the clutter in the store and nothing gets lost,” K&L Team Lead Sylvia Brugger

The Solution

The client partnered with Engage by Cell for a Text Messaging-based contest platform. Now, shoppers enter a store, where they see a display with a promoted product, and instructions at the point of sale directing them to text a keyword to a short-code for a chance to win prizes. K&L collects shoppers’ contact information. At the conclusion of the contests, Brugger exports the data from the Engage by Cell detailed analytics and reporting dashboard to a spreadsheet and randomly selects a winner. The data is used to analyze where shoppers are entering the contests, and their level of engagements at stores.

The Result

K&L Distributors now runs two to five contests each month. Each contest is connected to stand alone stores or regional chains of up to 20 stores. On year into K&L's relationship with Engage by Cell, the client is recieving precisely the service it had expected.

“For the ease of the execution, it’s really nice,” Brugger said. "One of our chain stores now specifically requests it, because text-to-win contests are easier to execute and makes the stores not so cluttered. The program works.”