Play Factore Boosts Off-Season Sales with Groupon
“As soon as a Groupon deal goes live, you can see the impact in the centre, the deal brings in new customers from far and wide - further afield than we could generate.”
Fawad Munir, owner of Play Factore
About Play Factore
Play Factore, in Manchester, an expansive indoor play centre known for its exceptional play experiences and premium amenities for both children and parents, is the UK's leading indoor family entertainment arena.
Fawad Munir’s motivation to start this business stemmed from his desire to leave a meaningful legacy for his children. Inspiration came shortly after the birth of his son and his young daughter and taking them to small indoor play centres, when he quickly recognised there was a market for high-end offerings for kids' entertainment.
In 2010, Fawad decided to transform a shell building into Play Factore. Since 2012, this venue has been catering for children from 6 months – 16 years old, offering parents the opportunity to play with their children on age-applicable equipment. Nowadays, this state of the art arena boasts the UK's longest indoor slide, thanks to its 19-metre high roof.
The Challenge
Like many seasonal businesses, Play Factore faced significant challenges during the warmer months, particularly from May to October. Families often favoured outdoor activities, leading to a decrease in visitor numbers and posing a threat to the business's financial stability due to constant overhead costs.
Despite efforts to run their own promotions and use other marketing tools, Play Factore struggled to achieve the same reach and quantifiable return on investment as larger platforms.
“We ran our own deals, but it was time consuming and we simply did not have the reach of Groupon. We tried other marketing tools but we just could not quantify the return on investment like we can with Groupon.”
The Results
In 2020, Play Factore partnered with Groupon to address these seasonal fluctuations. Groupon designed a targeted promotion offering a 44% discount during the low season, which proved to be highly successful. In 2023 alone, Play Factore sold over 15,500 vouchers, effectively reaching capacity and significantly boosting its footfall.
The impact was immediate. Fawad noted, “As soon as a Groupon offer goes live, the increase in visitors is noticeable. Groupon brings in new customers from a wider geographic area than we could attract on our own.”
Additionally, the promotion facilitated upsell opportunities within the centre. Visitors often spent more than their voucher value on premium food, coffee, and additional attractions like Virtual Reality and Zip Lines. This strategy not only increased revenue but also enhanced the overall customer experience.
Working with Groupon, Play Factore has solidified its position as a premier destination for family entertainment. In Fawad's words:
“That is why Groupon is our only marketing channel for promotions, it works for us. It drives footfall at scale - on any given day between 40-50% of visitors come from a Groupon campaign.
There is also no risk, as with no upfront costs, even if we got no footfall we have driven brand awareness for free.”
Top Tips for Working with Groupon
For businesses considering Groupon as a marketing tool, Fawad offers clear advice:
👉Understand Your Business Economics: “You know your business, it’s basically about making more than you spend so get your price point right. If you are open all year, your fixed costs won’t change just because you have less customers, so work it out across your business, not just at the voucher level.”
👉Upsell Effectively:“You know your customer, so you can identify the right services you can upsell with.”
👉Leverage Groupon's Reach: “Leverage Groupon to reach customers outside your typical area.”
👉Treat Groupon Customers Well: “If you treat your Groupon customers well and tailor the right services, they will spend above their voucher price."
Premium experiences for happy families
“Groupon works because the sales generated exceed the costs involved and the constant influx of customers ensures steady traffic even during the low season.
Also, during challenging economic times, Groupon allows families to enjoy premium experiences at reduced prices, which makes me very happy.”
