Beyond cashback rewards: ShopBack HK shares the secret recipe to retaining consumers

In celebration of its second anniversary in Hong Kong, Shopback has unveiled two key campaigns for the year-end shopping season on top of the regular Cashback on every transaction. 

Available from 25 October to 31 December, one of the campaigns, done in partnership with Standard Chartered Hong Kong, comes with the tagline “the more you spend the more you ear” (越簽越賺), allowing the brand to provide even more cashback to customers. 

As part of the campaign, specific Standard Chartered credit cardholders can earn an extra HK$1,800 or more in cashback offered by Standard Chartered by shopping at selected merchants via ShopBack, like iHerb, Taobao, Watsons, Net-A-Porter, Mr Porter, and Harrods.  

During an interview with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Arthur Wan, general manager of ShopBack for Hong Kong and Taiwan, said the campaigns aim to increasing brand credibility and getting more Cashback for customers with massive outdoor advertisement and breaking the myth and first ever bank partnership. 

Both ShopBack and Standard Chartered share a common goal of enhancing customer experience through value-added benefits, making this partnership a natural fit, according to the spokesperson.    

“Standard Chartered’s long-standing reputation and customer-centric approach align with ShopBack’s vision to create a win-win-win situation for ShopBack, the bank, and our customers. For ShopBack, as SCB is one of Hong Kong’s note-issuing banks with a long-standing reputation, this collaboration brings a strong brand effect to ShopBack,” Wan added. 

The initiative also aims to engage shoppers during the peak year-end shopping season, which includes major events such as Double 11, Black Friday, and Christmas. “Through these campaigns, we aim to attract more new customers with the chances of winning more Cashback and prizes,” added Wan.  

Another campaign themed around “If it is not a steal, it is not a ShopBack deal”, is available from 1 November until 30 November. New customers who spend HK$100 or more in November will be automatically entered into the ShopBack Shopping Festival Lucky Draw with prizes. 

Done in partnership with creative agency Durian, KOL agency Social Big Data and social media agency In Decide, the campaigns aim to convert people who already heard of ShopBack but still haven’t used to its customers with higher cashback rate and bank partnership alongside with major shopping festival in town. 

The campaigns also seek to increase transaction and commissions via merchants upsize and spending challenges, as well as increasing brand awareness and consideration.  

ShopBack made its entry into Hong Kong two years ago as it was seen as a prime market for more rewarding shopping experiences. The group's entry into the market comes at a time where eCommerce in Hong Kong was poised to rise at a rapid rate of over 11%, potentially reaching revenues of HK$226 billion (US$29 billion) by 2024. 

Upon the expansion, ShopBack also onboarded over 250 merchants in Hong Kong. These merchants range from local to global players, including Watsons, Disney+, Apple, KFC, Booking.com, Farfetch, Taobao, Sasa, ParkNShop, iHerb, and the likes.  

Right timing to retain consumers

Beyond rolling out discounts and rewards to attract consumers, Wan said ShopBack also believes that “Right fit, right timing” is key to retaining customers. “We continuously improve the customer experience by expanding our merchant partnerships and offering more attractive Cashback across various categories to meet customer needs. For example, after COVID, we noticed a strong demand for travel among Hong Kong residents, so we quickly partnered with online travel agents to offer relevant deals.”

Furthermore, ShopBack is also exploring new partnerships, including with banks such as Standard Chartered, and tourism boards such as the Tourism Authority of Thailand, to provide exclusive offers, he said. “Meanwhile, we are also looking to enhance our customer service, such as speeding up the processing time for crediting the Cashback to the customer’s ShopBack account and improving delivery times for goods.” 

“Since ShopBack’s launch in Hong Kong over two years ago, we have been committed to helping our customers earn more Cashback while shopping. To date, we have rewarded customers with over HK$100 million in Cashback. For the first time, we are proud to be partnering with our inaugural banking partner, Standard Chartered Bank, to offer even more exciting rewards to our customers – creating a win-win for all parties,” he added. 

Engaging consumers with large QR codes

The campaign is also amplified via multiple channels including out-of-home (OOH) ads in Causeway Bay (CWB), which acts as a separate interactive game designed to engage passersby.

The concept is based on a wordplay with (同聲字/食字), such as using phrases (唔夠抵) and (越底越抵). "For this OOH, we have added 'The lower the code, the higher the gain, grab your Cashback, it’s yours to claim!" (越底越抵 唔嘟蝕底) , aiming to create a sense of fear of missing out (FOMO). The further down the QR code you scan, the bigger the reward, with a maximum Cashback of HK$300 available. Meanwhile, this strategic media placement is designed to enhance engagement, as people waiting for buses might pay attention to these while passing time," added Wan. 

In addition to the OOH in CWB, there is a range of other OOH placements across the MTR, trams, bus stops, and billboards, as well as a KOL Cashback contest.
"Our goal is to provide 360-degree coverage across multiple channels for both new and existing customers. This is in line with our vision: to build the world’s most rewarding platform, where you can earn Cashback with ShopBack anytime," he added.

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