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seasonal

How to run a seasonal quest (and triple holiday traffic)

Multi-step quests = a story your customers play through. Here's how three shops cleaned up at the holidays.

GamifiedDeals·5/12/2026·2 min read

What a quest is

A chain of steps with one big reward at the end. Step 1: play 3 spins. Step 2: refer a friend. Step 3: visit 2 new merchants. Final reward: $20 voucher at the host shop.

Why it works for seasons

Quests align with windows: 12 days of Christmas, 14 days of Valentine's, a single Black Friday weekend. They create a path, not a single moment.

How to design one

  • 3 steps max. Beyond that, completion rates drop off a cliff.
  • Each step takes <2 days. Don't make your customers wait.
  • Final reward should be 3x larger than any single step.
  • Add a public progress bar so they can show their friends.

What we saw last December

Three merchants ran 12-day Christmas quests. Median completion rate: 47%. Median revenue lift vs prior December: +63%. None of them ran a 'percent off' Christmas sale.

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