News Coin-Op Insider: Street Beat
May 21, 2013
A large operator told us that the 23% of their overall revenue from last month was from the TouchTunes mobile app. They have noticed the increase since the weather has warmed up. People sit out on the patio and listen to the music they like without the inconvenience of having to get to up change the song. Our parts special coincides perfectly with this. During the whole month of May you have the opportunity for pair indoor/outdoor speakers for only $129! The perfect addition to any patio.
A location stirred up a bunch of commotion by putting a golf driver in a Key Master. The driver is held up on the back wall with the head cover being holding its place in the prize location. When it is won, an employee opens the Key Master and gives it to the winner. Actually putting the driver in the Key Master shows the quality of the prize. Check out the picture to the right.
If you have a Key Master with a card reader and a transient customer base, you should add a DBA. One location has two Key Masters and both units showed that over 35% of revenue was from cash. One even had profits exceeding $31,000 in one year!
iTunes gift cards bring all demographics together. It is one product that will attract all ages! You really need to wrap iTunes gift cards in with your ticket cranes. This opens up a whole new age range. Just tie a few to the cranes and watch who plays.
Incredible Technologies and Shaffer are offering a free stand with purchase of a GT Live, SS Live or PowerPutt Live game, to all those who go to this link - http://bit.ly/10VniqG - and play the game. If you have a QR reader available just scan this attachment, and play the game. Make sure to fill out the information at the end of the game to be entered to win the free stand!
An Operator wanted his guests to be more accessible to cash while on location. He knew an ATM was the answer. One ATM machine handled $12,000 and $450 in processing fees. Don't overlook the importance an ATM can have to your customers and business.
LAI's Balloon Buster has shown very steady numbers. With 32 games in a bowling alley room, it is consistently ranking number 2 behind Bay Tek's Big Bass Wheel. For a closer look of the features and benefits of LAI's Balloon Buster go here!
May 6, 2013
A large operator informed us that 17% of the income from the Virtuo's on his route is from mobile app plays. Promote the mobile app with stickers, free credits, table tents or posters. You can buy premade mobile marketing materials on Touch Tunes website here.
Pac Man Smash was recently placed in an FEC with over 90 games. Excitement filled the room and the game ranked in the top ten both weeks. Check out this fast paced four player air hockey game with a surprise twist on the Shaffer site.
We noticed that successful prize merchandisers have a mix of the most popular games, electronics as well as an assortment of gift cards from iTunes and Visa. If you need ideas for upgrading your electronics you can simply make a trip to Best Buy and ask the workers.
Looking for a new prize for your redemption games? Amazon and hexbug.com have a Hexbug Spider for about $22. The remote control bugs come in 5 different colors and range in size from small to extra large.
We were working with an operator who has a location that was very resistant to changing from his best jukebox, an MX-1 to a Virtuo. After many conversations the location agreed to the change. The MX-1 had a weekly income of $800, and the Virtuo made $1200 in one week. The location and operator are both very happy. If you have a location who is hesitant to change, share this story with them or ask you Shaffer Rep for more help.
LAI's Balloon Buster has received great reviews! In many large game rooms, it has placed in the top 10 every week this far. Check out the game here!
April 17, 2013
A hot item right now is a Finger Light. They cost $.35 each and sell for $1.00 in a 2"capsule. They can be used in Candy Cranes, Might Mini's or Tractor Time. Other hot items are Puff Rings and Laser Cut Key Chains. To find more information on the products check out All Star Vending at www.allstarvending.com.
Did you know Raw Thrills Racing games are built for people of all sizes? If a person is too short to reach the pedal, the game senses that there is no force and starts to drive automatically. This feature is great for small kids that want to drive a game that's a bit to big for them.
We have said it many times, but it so important that you are using gift cards in your self-redemption games. We have asked many operators what their most favored prize is, and almost unanimously gift cards were number one. If you already gave gift cards and want to update other prizes, you can stop by your local Best Buy and simply ask the workers what products are flying off the shelves. They have the inside scoop on the the hottest tech products.
Shaffer has a great deal on Galaxy 3 Darts! Call your local Shaffer rep or 800.282.0194 for more information.
Tickets are are a great way to mix up self redemption games. But make sure to use actual tickets and not just signs saying they will win tickets. The visual effect intrigues customers to come and play the game.
Redemption Plus carries an i-helicopter #317890 which is a great piece for prize merchandisers. It works especially well for the middle row of Key Master. You control the i-helicopter with an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. It features full functioning 3 channel radio control moving it left/right, forward/backward, making it hover and land. Plus they offer it at a great price - only $49 each or $39 by the case of 24.
A few months ago we learned about an operator placing a fish tank full of goldfish behind the redemption counter. The fish are redeemable for 250 tickets and customers can also win a small fishbowl for 40 more tickets. He just told us that the fish and fish bowl idea has been the number one prize since he made it available back in October.
Looking for something unique for your bar? Bay Tek's Beer Pong Masters is perfect for all bars small and large. The small footprint but competitive fun play attracts all demographics. For all the features and benefits go to the Shaffer site now!
SHAFFER PROMOTIONS
ICE
0% for 1 year
5.99% for 3 years
LAI
0% for 12 months
6.99% 30 months
TOUCHTUNES
Virtuo Quick Start - Up to $400 rebate
Virtuo Loyalty - Up to $800 rebate
Ovation - Up to $600 rebate
BAYTEK
0% APR on Dizzy Chicken, Crank It, Crank It Revolution & Connect 4
UNIS
0% APR for 6 months on ALL UNIS products!
March 06, 2013
A large FEC reported to us that their top earning games are 1.Monster Drop 2. A pair of connected Big Bass Wheels and rounding out the 4th spot is Pop It X-Treme.
Bay Tek's Dizzy Chicken has had many improvements in the past few weeks. In a large game room of 80 games, one ranked #10 making about $650 in one week! For all information on the Dizzy Chicken click here!
PowerPutt LIVE 2013, the exciting new mini-golf video game from Incredible Technologies, begins shipping this March. PowerPutt LIVE 2013 includes an impressive eleven 18-hole mini-golf courses and an array of online features designed to encourage longevity, variety and replay value for players. New features include fully customizable player avatars, in-game achievement awards, lifetime accomplishment badges, local and national leaderboards, a unique Daily Cash Prize Contest format, a "Poker Putt" side game, multi-player bracket play, Raw-Talk commentary and much more.
Looking for a new photobooth? Apple offers both social media outlets as well as printed copies to offer your customers different options. The social media options allows paper cost to stay low.
March 14, 2013
We know some of you are hesitant to make the move from coin/tickets to card reader systems. We have installed many Embed systems lately and after a few weeks have great numbers to report. The overall bottom line at one location jumped 39%! There are no more tokens to buy, and cards only cost $.09/each! You can also up-sell customers with a bracelet or necklace to hold their card so it doesn't get lost. If you are thinking about changing over your room, talk to your Shaffer Rep to get all the details.
Is your ICE Milk Jug Toss jamming? Try using only 5 balls instead of all 10. There is a sensor that allows the player to receive the correct number of balls for each play. An operator told us his 2 Milk Jug Tosses together are ranking #1 out of 50 pieces.
In the past few weeks we have talked a lot about moving around your room, (a little bit of spring cleaning never hurt anyone!) and we have a success story to share. The revenue of a game increased from $200/week to $500/week just by moving it to the other side of the room! That's $300 on average for 52/weeks a year equals over $15,000 A YEAR! If you have a game that's going stale you REALLY need to think about sprucing it up a bit. If you like the layout as is, you could use the inexpensive laser light projector. As seen in the picture to the right, this holographic strober from Rhode Island Novelty has controls for multiple modes of projection including sensitivity to music. Included are an AC power supply, tripod, and instructions.
We had the pleasure of having getting together with Megatouch's Kristin Link last week. She informed us of all the new features and benefits. To see all the new news go here!