The Core Problem for Brick & Mortars: Anonymous Traffic

Every day, local small businesses welcome walk-ins—window shoppers, browsers, first-time guests, and returning customers. You may offer great service and products, but unless you have a way to follow up after the visit, you're stuck relying on chance for repeat business.

And while online businesses obsess over collecting emails and retargeting ads, many physical storefronts are behind when it comes to customer data capture. The reasons are simple:

• Staff are too busy to ask for info.
• Paper sign-up sheets feel outdated.
• Customers are wary of giving up personal data without incentive.
• Manual entry is time-consuming and prone to error.

That’s where a mobile app-based solution like CliquePrize® thrives.

What is CliquePrize®?

CliquePrize® is an iPhone mobile app built for small businesses that want to generate leads, gather customer feedback and conduct market research cost-effectively. It offers location-based giveaways, raffles, video contests, events, text to instant win promotions, and surveys (i.e. polls, quizzes and questionnaires)—each designed to capture customer feedback and lead date in exchange for a chance to win prizes.

This approach offers something powerful: Permission-Based Lead Generation—where customers willingly and excitedly provide their contact details, knowing there’s something fun and potentially rewarding in return.

💡 Bonus: Prizes Are Tax-Deductible

One often-overlooked advantage of using giveaways for lead generation is that prizes offered as part of your marketing strategy are considered a tax-deductible business expense.

Unlike digital ads or flyers, the value of the prizes you give away through CliquePrize® can be deducted as a marketing cost on your business tax return. That means every dollar you invest in attracting leads may come back to you through customer engagement—and again through year-end savings.

Of course, be sure to consult with your tax professional to ensure the prize is recorded properly and that you retain records of the expense and promotion.

The Psychology Behind Giveaway-Driven Sign-Ups

Why do giveaways work so well for lead generation, especially in-store?

1. Reciprocity – People love free stuff. They’re more likely to give you something (their name, email, or phone number) if you’re offering them something first—like a chance to win a gift card or prize.
2. Urgency and Scarcity – CliquePrize® enables you to run limited-time promotions during events, open houses, or product launches. The more exclusive it feels, the more people want to join. And remember, since CliquePrize® offers both Private promotions and location specific Public Promotions, the Contestants are local. More than 90% of your customer base will live within 10 miles of your small business.
3. Gamification – With random drawings, the sign-up process becomes fun, interactive, and less transactional. That improves participation rates significantly. Since CliquePrize® offers one-click to enter giveaways, there's less friction and higher odds of registration.
4. Low Commitment, High Reward – A 30-second action on their phone is all it takes, with very little risk since CliquePrize® is hosted on the MS Azure Cloud

How to Capture In-Store Leads with CliquePrize® (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Choose Your Giveaway

CliquePrize® offers Private Giveaways which are designed for In-Store Promotions.

Start by choosing a prize your customers want—think $25–$50 in-store gift cards, a free product or service, or a gift basket. The better the prize, the more leads you’ll attract.

And remember, that prize can be claimed as a marketing tax deduction—making it an investment in both customer acquisition and smart accounting.

Step 2: Set Up Your Display

Make it easy for in-store customers to notice, understand, and act.

Use pop-up displays by the cash register, tent cards, or window signage near high-traffic spots in your location. Include:

• A QR code linking directly to your CliquePrize® promotion
• Simple instructions like:
  “Scan to Enter for a Chance to Win a $25 Gift Card!”
• Your small business name and prize clearly visible.
• Optional: A countdown timer (“Ends Sunday!”) to drive urgency.

CliquePrize® offers a free 8x10 pdf poster with a dedicated QR Code (as well as a 4 digit code as a fail-safe) or you can use your own preferred design.

Step 3: Customers Scan and Enter

Here’s where CliquePrize® shines. The app captures essential lead data without slowing down your checkout or disrupting your operations.

Every entry captures:

• Name
• Email
• Mobile phone (must be registered to a major US Wireless carrier such as AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon; no WhatsApp, Google Voice or VOIP numbers)
• Zip code (confirming local relevance)
• Consent (important for compliance with privacy laws like CCPA and CAN-SPAM)

This is opt-in, compliant data—ready to be used for future email, SMS, or retargeting campaigns.

Step 4: Announce Winners and Follow Up

After the giveaway ends, you can select or have CliquePrize® blindly select a winner using its randomizer. This ensures fairness and prevents favoritism, while protecting privacy on both sides.

Once you have a winner, do this:

• Announce it in-store and online.
• Email all participants, thanking them for entering and offering a small consolation prize (like 10% off their next visit).
• Invite them to join your mailing list (if separate).
• Add them to your CRM or text messaging list using integrations or exports from CliquePrize®.

This is where the real value is. Now you’re not just running a giveaway—you’re building a digital audience.

How Giveaways Create a Lead-Generation Flywheel

When implemented consistently, CliquePrize® promotions create a self-sustaining marketing system:

1. Attract attention with in-store signage.
2. Collect high-quality, local leads in real time.
3. Follow up with offers, reminders, and invites.
4. Turn leads into customers, and customers into repeat buyers.
5. Run the next promotion—even better than the last.

Over time, you build a local marketing list that reduces your reliance on paid ads or foot traffic alone. This is your first-party data—one of your most valuable marketing assets.

And with tax-deductible prizes, each campaign becomes more cost-effective from both a marketing and accounting perspective.

Best Times to Run In-Store Giveaways

• Grand openings
• Holiday weekends
• Clearance sales or product launches
• Slow days to increase traffic
• Customer appreciation events
• Open houses or after-hours events

Use promotions to anchor an occasion. People love to stop in when there’s something “special” going on. Select Plan B and run these giveaways monthly. This will ensure you are capturing a monthly flow of leads.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. No signage – If customers can’t see the promotion, they won’t enter.
2. Complicated entry – Keep it under 30 seconds from scan to submit.
3. Weak prize – A $5 coupon might not excite; go for $25+ value.
4. No follow-up – Always use the data you collect, even if it's just a thank-you email.
5. Forgetting tax benefits – Keep receipts and document your prize expenses to maximize your deductions.

Real-World Example:

Let’s say you run a bridal shop. You put a poster near your checkout offering a chance to win a $250 store credit. Customers scan the QR code, enter their info, Suppose you capture 200 entries over 5 days.

That’s 200 local leads you didn’t have before. A week later, you send them all a thank-you email with a 10% off coupon. Your open rate is 40%, and 10% redeem the offer. That’s 8-10 new sales, all because you incentivized data capture.

And that $250 store credit? It’s a tax-deductible marketing cost—better than your signage, your business cards, or your social media ads.

In today’s data-driven world, every small business needs to think digitally—even if your business model is built on human interaction. With CliquePrize®, you don’t need fancy tech stacks or expensive consultants. You just need a great prize, a QR code, and a willingness to grow.

By offering a compelling reason for customers to share their contact info, you go from a passive storefront to an active lead-generating machine.

And since the prize itself is tax-deductible, every promotion becomes a smarter, more strategic investment in your business’s growth.

🚀 Ready to take your marketing to the next level? Download the CliquePrize® app and create a FREE Sponsor Account today!

CliquePrize®*** is the iPhone Giveaways mobile app that helps Small Businesses grow by reaching, nurturing and converting local, high value prospects. If you have any questions or feedback, please let us know!***