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If forums or retail sites enticed products with participation would you be more inclined to...

post #1 of 19
1/13/11 at 1:15pm
Thread Starter 

This has been on my mind for awhile and has me wondering what would motivate human behavior.  Perhaps a paper will be written on this subject if there are some interesting responses.

 

Elaborating more on the title.  Would you be more inclined to visit forums like head-fi or any convenience/retail store (more-so than you do now or before) if said places gave points for participation in their site or store that could be redeemed for name brand products like TVs, Digial Audio Players, Clothing, Gift Cards...audio equipment! (:and so on? 

 

People would gain points through simply logging into a website or walking into a store.  Other ways to gain points would be through purchases (percentage of purchase would equate to a point total), posting (fixed), helpful comments, reviews and howtos (fixed).  Would this motivate someone to want to visit this site more knowing they can receive some nice gifts for next to nothing?  It may take a user simply logging into the site 15 years to get that 50" TV, but it may take another 1-3 years if they buy more items, post everyday, log in everyday etc...yes, no?

 

 

Would you feel more compelled to visit that site or store?  Would you feel more compelled to visit that site even if you hardly go there?

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post #2 of 19
1/13/11 at 1:30pm
Likely not. I'm not a fan of being tracked as a consumer. I realize that it's happening whether I want to or not, but I try to minimize it.

There are already companies that offer rewards for taking surveys, signing up for trials, etc. I avoid those, too. If you add up all the time you have to spend for whatever it is they're offering, you always come out well under minimum wage. If I wanted a "free" iPad or something, I'd be better off flipping burgers in the evening and using my paycheck to buy what I want. Making burgers has actual utility, as well.

While I do support capitalism, I am sick to death of the barrage of marketing. Requiring you to register to buy something followed by spam, commercials, upselling/suggestive selling at stores, surveys, demanding phone numbers and email addresses when you buy something, club cards, et al., I've had enough. Make me wade through that crap and you won't see me again.

If my input is so important, offer me a contract as a consultant or product developer. Pay me enough and I'll give it my best. Short of that, leave me alone. I'd rather lie on the sofa with the cat than spend 20 minutes answering a phone survey to get a free $3 sandwich.
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post #3 of 19
1/13/11 at 2:38pm

Lol, Erik

 

I support it but only it it's done right, I too stay away from survey's I won't know part in that. For 5$ I'll pass.

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post #4 of 19
1/13/11 at 2:58pm

I wouldn't participate.  It's like frequent flyer miles or (reaching further back yet) green stamps. The payoff for participation is low and usually too constrained to make participation worth it.

 

Also, I'm with UE, there's more than enough spam and tracking consumer behavior in the world on and off the net. I know marketing people have to make a living too, but I can't really believe the barrage we're subjected to every day is really cost-effective.

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post #5 of 19
1/13/11 at 3:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rroseperry View Post
I wouldn't participate.  It's like frequent flyer miles or (reaching further back yet) green stamps. The payoff for participation is low and usually too constrained to make participation worth it.

 

1+

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post #6 of 19
1/13/11 at 3:31pm
Thread Starter 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by rroseperry View Post

I wouldn't participate.  It's like frequent flyer miles or (reaching further back yet) green stamps. The payoff for participation is low and usually too constrained to make participation worth it.

 

Also, I'm with UE, there's more than enough spam and tracking consumer behavior in the world on and off the net. I know marketing people have to make a living too, but I can't really believe the barrage we're subjected to every day is really cost-effective.

 

Fair enough and I do see your point with flyer miles, but what if:

 

Lets say you log-in to Head-fi, whether you use cookies or not.  You receive 1 point instantly.  One-point per day.  No sign-up needed.  No information needed other than when you have enough points who to ship to and where.  Moving forward, lets say you make a post, another point.  You sell something, you get a percentage of that sale in the form of points.  As an example you sell something for 200 dollars.  You get 32 points.  You buy something more percentage points. 

 

Through simple math one could easily net 730 points just doing what they normally do on this site.  They look in the store and notice there is an ipod touch for 4800 points.  In 6.x years they could get an ipod touch for simply logging in and posting.  Of course, in 6 years it will be the new ipod but that's not the point.

 

Would something like this and not necessarily exactly how i have worded it...but would something like this motivate you to post more or buy/sell more (without excess) to ultimately get something for next to nothing?

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post #7 of 19
1/13/11 at 3:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Darkestred View Post

 


Fair enough and I do see your point with flyer miles, but what if:

 

Lets say you log-in to Head-fi, whether you use cookies or not.  You receive 1 point instantly.  One-point per day.  No sign-up needed.  No information needed other than when you have enough points who to ship to and where.  Moving forward, lets say you make a post, another point.  You sell something, you get a percentage of that sale in the form of points.  As an example you sell something for 200 dollars.  You get 32 points.  You buy something more percentage points. 

 

Through simple math one could easily net 730 points just doing what they normally do on this site.  They look in the store and notice there is an ipod touch for 4800 points.  In 6.x years they could get an ipod touch for simply logging in and posting.  Of course, in 6 years it will be the new ipod but that's not the point.

 

Would something like this and not necessarily exactly how i have worded it...but would something like this motivate you to post more or buy/sell more (without excess) to ultimately get something for next to nothing?

 

No, not for me. First of all there's not really that much stuff I want and I doubt that you'll be able to offer something like this for points.

 

Music downloads, I'd think about, but setting up a catalog of high quality files would be even harder than gear.
 

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post #8 of 19
1/13/11 at 5:08pm

Put me in Uncle Erik's camp. There are only two rewards cards that I use, and it's because they actually do end up saving me money with just the swipe of a card. The first is a rewards card for a supermarket that I buy my food at. For every x amount of points I get, I get 10c off per gallon at their gas station. The other is a pizza place that I go to frequently with friends. It's surprising how fast the points add up on the two of those cards.

 

For everywhere else though, I get extremely annoyed when being asked "do you have a rewards card?" And of course when I say that I don't have one they pressure me to sign up for one. In one instance the cashier didn't even ask me if I wanted one, she just gave me the signup form and a pen. I hate going to that store.

 

Also whenever a cashier asks for my name, phone number, etc., I always just refuse to give them the information.

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post #9 of 19
1/13/11 at 5:29pm

Same deal for me. I only have myself signed up for two rewards programs: 1 is the one at the supermarket I frequent most because the upshot of that one is a savings of 10 cents/gallon - $1.00/gallon on gas for my car depending on how much I spend annually. The second program is the one through my bank for using their debit/check card and credit card. The bank awards me a fixed number of points for every dollar spent with my card and then the bank allows me to spend them on rewards offered directly through the bank. Other than that, I don't care to sign up for rewards programs/reward cards.

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post #10 of 19
1/13/11 at 5:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by salannelson View Post
For everywhere else though, I get extremely annoyed when being asked "do you have a rewards card?" And of course when I say that I don't have one they pressure me to sign up for one. In one instance the cashier didn't even ask me if I wanted one, she just gave me the signup form and a pen. I hate going to that store.

 

Also whenever a cashier asks for my name, phone number, etc., I always just refuse to give them the information.


Agreed probably because some get paid for this transaction to work, and for people like us it doesn't go thru. 

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post #11 of 19
1/13/11 at 5:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Confispect View Post



Quote:
Originally Posted by salannelson View Post
For everywhere else though, I get extremely annoyed when being asked "do you have a rewards card?" And of course when I say that I don't have one they pressure me to sign up for one. In one instance the cashier didn't even ask me if I wanted one, she just gave me the signup form and a pen. I hate going to that store.

 

Also whenever a cashier asks for my name, phone number, etc., I always just refuse to give them the information.


Agreed probably because some get paid for this transaction to work, and for people like us it doesn't go thru. 



One of my friends worked at a Rite Aid and the employee to get the most people to sign up for a rewards card got a $50 gift card or something. So I signed up for that one to be nice biggrin.gif. I never use it though.

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post #12 of 19
1/13/11 at 6:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by salannelson View Post
One of my friends worked at a Rite Aid and the employee to get the most people to sign up for a rewards card got a $50 gift card or something. So I signed up for that one to be nice biggrin.gif. I never use it though.


Sounds like me and my Barns&Nobles card...biggrin.gif

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post #13 of 19
1/13/11 at 9:05pm
Thread Starter 


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by rroseperry View Post



Quote:
Originally Posted by Darkestred View Post

 


Fair enough and I do see your point with flyer miles, but what if:

 

Lets say you log-in to Head-fi, whether you use cookies or not.  You receive 1 point instantly.  One-point per day.  No sign-up needed.  No information needed other than when you have enough points who to ship to and where.  Moving forward, lets say you make a post, another point.  You sell something, you get a percentage of that sale in the form of points.  As an example you sell something for 200 dollars.  You get 32 points.  You buy something more percentage points. 

 

Through simple math one could easily net 730 points just doing what they normally do on this site.  They look in the store and notice there is an ipod touch for 4800 points.  In 6.x years they could get an ipod touch for simply logging in and posting.  Of course, in 6 years it will be the new ipod but that's not the point.

 

Would something like this and not necessarily exactly how i have worded it...but would something like this motivate you to post more or buy/sell more (without excess) to ultimately get something for next to nothing?

 

No, not for me. First of all there's not really that much stuff I want and I doubt that you'll be able to offer something like this for points.

 

Music downloads, I'd think about, but setting up a catalog of high quality files would be even harder than gear.
 



Haha. Yea, that would be a bit out of the scope.  The main reason why i asked this is because there is a forum that does do what I mentioned  I've been on it for 5 years and started to think what if i had logged in and made a post every day.  I would have been able to get something really nice  After thought and not a big deal.  The main difference with this site is it deals with sports betting/poker realm.  So, you could imagine with affiliates and signing up for other books they are bringing in a lot of money.  They have 55" TVs.  Name brands going for 55k points. They also do have a canon 15.1 megapixel for 14k.  Which with my scenario would be obtainable in like 7 years with someone who did quite a bit of purchasing and selling.  Not really plausible for most.

 

For the rest posting about signing up and rewards.  Again, there would be no tracking of information other than when you finally do buy something the site would need to know who its going to and where.  Once you sign up with an account as you did here.  You'd be tracked for a) logging in and receiving a point b) posting = point and c) selling/buying = percent of sale.

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post #14 of 19
1/14/11 at 11:20am

I don't think it would be a bad thing, just bad for people who don't want to take that step. I still wouldn't want to be tracked....of any sort.

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post #15 of 19
1/14/11 at 11:30am

I would do it if it were a place I shop at or frequent already, but I would not likely be tempted to a new place of business just for the "rewards" unless they were really good and quick to accumulate.

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