Carrefour · Retail gamification · 2016–2020
Carrefour — Gamification as retail infrastructure
How a single campaign became participation infrastructure Carrefour ran for 4+ years — reaching 100M+ and earning Cannes and Eurobest recognition.
The challenge
Carrefour needed more than a one-off promotion — a way to turn everyday shopping into ongoing participation, repeatable across seasons and campaigns, at national scale.
The system
We built a gamification platform that runs as infrastructure: collectible and prize mechanics, receipt validation, mini-games and seasonal campaigns — including Shop Like a Jedi — all on a system designed to be reused, not rebuilt each time.
The outcome
Four-plus years live, 1.5M+ receipts processed and 100M+ reach — with Shop Like a Jedi shortlisted at Cannes Lions and Eurobest and winning 3 Golden Drum Silver and an Effie Bronze.
The national record: #Aniversare18ani
For Carrefour Romania's 18th anniversary, the birthday itself became a game. The mobile game passed 1,000,000 sessions in its first three weeks — peaking at over 100,000 games in a single day. Then, on July 6, in the Brăila Mall parking lot, 1,547 people played simultaneously on the main stage — hosted by Cătălin Măruță, just before Andra's concert — setting the record for Romania's largest live mobile interaction. Players scanned products on the stage screens; the top 100 scores won shopping vouchers, and the top 180 players earned invitations to a private virtual concert. Even the music was part of the system: «Iubirea e un refren!», written by Andra especially for the campaign.
The record, on IQads → · Watch the party → · «Intra in HORA», the 2018 precursor — 327K views on Carrefour's channel →
The infrastructure that stayed
The record was one peak of a system that kept running. Caravana Carrefour took the games on the road across the country. Cards Collectables turned receipts into collections worth returning for. And Benji the Allosaurus — a sensory dinosaur box built Disney-style with Arduino, 3D and storytelling — went from client brief to live beta in six weeks, gathered 11,000 likes in three days at ParkLake, and toured so successfully it retired to Dino Parc Râșnov, a park expecting 420,000 visitors a year. Year after year, the same participation rails processed 1.5M+ receipts and reached an audience of 100M+.
What the client said
“Interactivity was the first ingredient of the digital campaign. Through the simple mechanic, and through the whole story behind the anniversary game, we managed to create a LIVE interactive-content experience that was truly unique for our customers.”
Teodor Gurgui — Digital Marketing Specialist, Carrefour România (on IQads)
The industry agreed: Shop Like a Jedi earned a Cannes Lions shortlist, an Eurobest shortlist, three Golden Drum Silvers, an Effie Bronze and a FIBRA Gold (with Publicis).