- Company : ZigZag Group
- Date : 2020-2024
- Trade : Marketing and Advertising
Project Overview
Café 21 is a popular board game centre known for its high customer footfall and table occupancy rates. However, despite steady traffic, the business faced challenges in revenue generation due to its time-based pricing model and limited customer spend per visit. Our goal was to increase the average order value (AOV) through strategic cross-selling campaigns, without altering the competitive pricing model that attracted customers in the first place.
Challenge
While Café 21 had succeeded in attracting a loyal customer base with its competitive pricing model and vibrant game culture, the business struggled with low profit margins. The café’s core revenue came from time-based bookings for board game sessions, which kept the venue full but didn’t translate into high sales per customer.Due to the competitive local market, raising prices wasn’t a viable solution. The challenge was to increase the average basket size without discouraging footfall. This required uncovering untapped revenue opportunities within the customer journey — particularly around food and beverage consumption — and designing campaigns to encourage cross-selling without disrupting the experience.
Strategy & Approach
Business Analysis & Opportunity Mapping:
Conducted SWOT analysis and revenue breakdown to identify underperforming segments. Observations revealed that despite high customer volume, F&B sales were disproportionately low.
Strategy & Approach
Business Analysis & Opportunity Mapping:
Conducted business analysis using qualitative research, in-store observation, and competitor benchmarking to evaluate performance and inform strategic direction. Developed a SWOT analysis to identify growth opportunities. A key opportunity was boosting revenue by encouraging customers to purchase food and drinks alongside their board game sessions, using cross-selling strategies to increase the average basket size.
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Positioning Cafe 21 as a Board Game + Dining Experience:
Refined the brand message through targeted content creation to position the cafe as a space where board games and curated food & drinks naturally complement each other — not just a gaming venue.
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Upselling Strategy through Thematic Campaigns:
Designed two content-driven upselling campaigns:
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“Special Drinks for Special Players” highlighted the café’s custom drink experience, with bartenders crafting drinks based on player moods and game styles.
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“It’s Better with a dish” promoted curated food pairings for popular board games, designed with kitchen staff and board game masters.
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Campaign Rollout & Staff Enablement:
Launched campaigns on social media, in-store visuals, and trained staff to upsell subtly during interactions, using playful messaging and storytelling.
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Influencer Collaboration for Targeted Campaign Boost
Amplified campaign reach by collaborating with niche board game influencers, leveraging their credibility and community to drive engagement and encourage cross-selling.
Results & Impact
25% increase in average customer basket size within 6 months, driven by targeted cross-selling strategies.
70% growth in UGC and social media mentions, especially around thematic food & drink offerings.
Higher customer satisfaction observed through informal feedback about the customised drinks experience.
+2,300 new followers organically gained on Instagram during campaign rollout.
- +45% increase in engagement rate, driven by campaign-specific content and influencer collaborations.
Enhanced brand perception as a destination not just for board games, but also for creative F&B offerings.
Clear sales uplift from promoted items during campaign periods, with customised drinks showing the highest conversion rate.
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Skills I Applied
- Business Analysis
- Content Strategy
- Customer Experience Design
- Campaign Planning & Execution
- Social Media Marketing
- Influencer Marketing
- Performance Analysis