Minsky’s is promoting the campaign with signage that encourages users to download an app that can be used to scan QR codes linked to prizes. Minsky’s is using the Front Flip mobile app for the campaign.

“QR codes have been around for a long time, but this is fun,” said Sean Beckner, CEO of Front Flip, Overland Park, KS.

“People like to win, and the app gives them a dynamic way to engage,” he said. “In the end, it is all about the in-store experience and getting people to come back.”

Minsky’s is a chain of pizza restaurants with 14 locations in Kansas and Missouri.

Mobile pie
Nine of Minsky’s locations are using the Front Flip app to boost sales.

Table tops in the restaurant feature a mobile bar code that users can scan to download the app. The table top also includes a SMS call to action to let users text the keyword FLIP MINSKYS to the short code 27810.

The SMS message then prompts users to download the free app from either Apple’s App Store or Google Play.

Users can then open the app to either create an account or sign-in using Facebook.

The app uses a consumer’s ZIP code to find nearby restaurants and consumers can select Minsky’s to see all of the local offers being used at the restaurant.

For example, a location in Leawood, KS is letting users win free pizzas, calzones and garlic toast for scanning the table top.

After a user scans the mobile bar code, they can use their finger to scratch a digital lottery card to see if they are a winner. The deals are also time-sensitive, which gives consumers an incentive to use the offer on the spot in the restaurant.

After using the platform for 140 days, Minsky’s saw that 17,074 scans were made by 9,092 customers, meaning that the average consumer scanned the mobile bar code multiple times to win. The platform lets users scan each QR code once a day.

Mobile incentive
Giving diners a way to interact with a company while in a restaurant via a table top is a smart move for Minsky’s. Not only does the initiative let diners learn more about the restaurant, it also gives diners an incentive for using their devices.

Minsky’s is not the only company using table tops to drive user engagement.

Recently, a franchise of Applebee’s restaurants used QR code-enabled table toppers that the company claims led to a 9.8 percent increase in lunch sales (see story).

According to Mr. Beckner, the goal behind using the Front Flip app is to help restaurants engage with their consumers to ultimately build loyalty.

The majority of restaurants on the Front Flip app are local restaurants, showing how restaurants can drive sales with a targeted, small group of consumers who already have a strong attachment to their favorite restaurants.

“Our goal is to make it easy for consumers to get a gift from their favorite businesses, so we are using technology to allow businesses to do these things,” Mr. Beckner said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York