Many companies have been trying to capitalize on Web 2.0 concepts such as social networking but few have had much success as of yet with this fairly new idea in online marketing. The problem, I believe, is that many companies have trouble relating to their target demographic and providing them with the type of websites they really want. Jinx.com, an online clothing retailer, is one of the few companies that I think is on the right track.
Jinx targets mainly gamers and tech geeks with their humorous t-shirts, an audience that makes up one of the largest user-bases of most social networking sites. Jinx decided to capitalize on this savvy audience by implementing points.
Jinx Gold is earned whenever you purchase something from the site, level up after getting enough Jinx EXP, or win one of their frequent contests. It can then be used to purchase products from the site. Jinx EXP is earned by posting comments/reviews on the products, participating in polls, uploading photos, taking quizzes, and interacting with the site in various other ways. The Gold and EXP concepts are taken from popular role-playing games, which is fitting as many of the t-shirts on Jinx are designed specifically for gamers.
Giving loyalty points and incentives to your customers isn’t a new concept. Companies such as Coca-Cola were doing it long before the web came along. What’s surprising is that so few online retailers are taking advantage of this great online marketing tool.
Personally, I find myself visiting the Jinx website at least once a week now so I can increase my EXP for free by answering their weekly poll and quiz, as well as leaving the occasional comment. For some reason the geek in me has a strong need to level up past my current status of Lvl 2 Minion. If only it was this fun to hang out on Amazon, Ebay or Overstock.com.