Back to basics for Kachingo!

By SIMON HENDERY

Lottery-style loyalty scheme Kachingo! is being revamped after customer research suggested shoppers wanted a simpler game.

More than two million Kachingo! game lines are issued each week to BP, Super Liquor, Woolworths, Big Fresh and Price Chopper customers and the game has paid out more than $1 million in prize money since its launch last October.

Although retailers have been positive about the increased turnover Kachingo! has generated for their businesses, frustrated shoppers find that by the end of the month wallets or handbags can be stuffed with tickets, all of which have to be matched against the daily, weekly and monthly draws.

About 50 per cent of minor prizes remain unclaimed and a winning ticket for a special $1 million draw in December also failed to surface, although tickets remain valid for six months.

Next month, the daily and monthly draws will be dumped for a single weekly $100,000 draw plus minor prizes or $1000, $20 and $5.

Kachingo! managing director Mary Vance said research showed shoppers wanted more prizes and a simpler weekly draw. She said the moves should boost the number of cash winners a year from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.

The company is also moving faster on installing ticket checking Machines at Woolworths supermarkets and is revamping its website to make checking tickets easier.

The new prize structure takes effect after a final monthly draw on April 7, when Kachingo! will again try to give away a $1 million prize.