Contests offer up e-gift cards to entice shopping
RoyalOak’sDowntownDevelopment Authority continues to try to spur more customers to visit downtown businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and now has a new contest.
The DDA back in July launched a campaign where people got a total of $400,000 in electronic gift cards, called DowntownDollars, for use at dozens of downtown shops and restaurants.
Sean Kammer, DDA manager, said the authority has already kicked off a contest ending at 11:59 p.m. Oct. 11 where five winners will each get $1,000 in e-gift cards.
“Basically, anyone can take apicture of themselves at their
favorite downtown establishment and post it to their Instagrampage,” he said. “They will be entered in the contest if they tag us @downtown_ royaloak and use the hashtag #MIDowntownDay.”
Information on the contest and the names of 74 downtown businesses that accept the e-gift cards on the visitroyaloak.com website.
The cards are valid for six months.
The DDA is planning more contests, including one related to Small Business Saturday, coming up on Nov. 28.
DDA employees have further been sending e-gift cards to office workers in the downtown to help generate more foot traffic that many businesses depend on.
All told, the organization is spending about $500,000 on the promotional efforts, Kammer said.
Nationally and locally, the pandemic has put a large dent in customer visits to nearly all retail and related businesses, and Royal Oak is no exception.
The DDA announced in May it was handing over a total of about $1.3 million to businesses owners in the district financially hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Money was given to owners of 92 restaurants, salons, cafes, retailers and entertainment venues
The effort was aimed at businesses with 50 or fewer employees that intended to stay in the downtown district and weather the pandemic, despite its impact on the owners’ bottomline.
Grants ranged from about $4,000 to $32,000 for each business. The Royal Oak City Commission a couple weeks ago extended temporary outdoor permits and a downtown street closure to help restaurants and other venues in the district through the pandemic.
Permits allowed businesses, particularly restaurants, to serve more customers by creating service areas in on-street parking spaces, parking lots and other outdoor spaces.
Several restaurants put up tents outdoors to accommodate more customers while maintaining social distancing.
he DDA recommended the outdoor permits be extended and city officials ultimately agreed to continue allowing them until late April 2021.
“Outdoor spaces have helped with sales,” Kammer said. “I think foot traffic is down in some places downtown, it’ s kind of a mixed bag. Some retailers are doing fantastic while others have less foot traffic.”
Because of social distancing and safety requirements, the annual Spooktacular event around Halloween, and most holiday season events are canceled.
The new Ins tag ram contest with people posting pictures of themselves at their favorite businesses is another way for the DDA to spotlight more of downtown restaurants and retailers, Kammer said.