We turned payments into play with Checkatrade at the Harlequin Shopping Centre in Watford!

When Checkatrade launched Checkatrade Pay, their new in-app payment service designed to make paying trusted tradespeople simple and secure, they wanted to introduce it in a way that was interactive, engaging and memorable.

Rather than relying on digital marketing alone, they partnered with Prize Professionals to take the campaign into the real world - with a pop-up experiential activation at the Harlequin Shopping Centre in Watford, one of the region’s busiest retail destinations with 17 million shoppers visiting every year.

The result? A campaign that combined digital engagement, gamified rewards, and instant gratification to capture shoppers’ attention and creatively communicate the benefits of Checkatrade Pay in a fun, rewarding way.

Checkatrade’s goal was as follows:

1. Drive awareness of the new in-app payment feature, Checkatrade Pay.
2. Encourage downloads and engagement with the Checkatrade app in an interactive, low-barrier way.

The brand wanted to go beyond static displays and social media marketing, creating a live experience that demonstrated how Checkatrade Pay makes life easier for customers and tradespeople alike.

Prize Professionals designed and delivered a bespoke in-centre pop-up promotion that combined a smooth digital journey with a physical activation space, capturing both footfall and attention. Whether it was winning a tub of tasty popcorn, a branded balloon or a voucher prize, shoppers showed interest and excitement.

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Here’s how it worked:

• Shoppers visiting the Harlequin could stop by our Checkatrade pop-up and speak to our friendly team who handed them a tablet to enter the giveaway.
• After reminding to download the app, participants were then guided through a digital scratch-card journey - a gamified digital mechanic that revealed whether they’d won a prize.
• Every entrant had the chance to win up to £1,000 in Checkatrade vouchers, usable towards services from trusted tradespeople, or a tub of popcorn or free balloon.
• The promotion was designed for instant engagement: quick, fun, and rewarding.

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Behind the scenes, Prize Professionals handled the full end-to-end campaign delivery, including promotional planning, legal compliance, prize sourcing and warehousing, winner management, and on-site operational support.

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Highlights of the pop-up activation

• Branded pop-up space in a high-footfall zone of the Harlequin Shopping Centre.
• Seamless integration between physical activation and digital entry mechanics.
• Real-time prize allocation managed via our secure digital promotion platform, PromoNow.
• Winner care & fulfilment handled by us, ensuring a smooth experience from entry to reward.
• On-site friendly brand ambassadors to guide shoppers through the process and encourage app downloads.

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Winner of the £1,000 Checkatrade Pay voucher, Stephen, was over the moon when he found out he won after scratching his digital gift card! He said he entered because he needed to get a hole plastered in his hallway, and after scratching off the card, he told the team he might get the whole kitchen plastered instead!

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The Checkatrade pop-up drew strong engagement throughout the weekend, driving thousands of entries and generating conversations both in-centre and online.

• High participation rate: Shoppers of all demographics engaged with the digital mechanic thanks to its simplicity and instant reward potential.
• Strong brand recall: Visitors left the stand understanding what Checkatrade Pay does, and with a positive emotional connection to the brand.
• Social buzz: The instant-win format created natural shareable moments, helping the campaign extend its reach beyond the centre.
• Seamless (as much as it could be!) deployment: our management ensured compliance, accuracy and prompt fulfilment throughout.

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Why It Worked

This activation succeeded because it brought together three winning elements:

1. Digital interaction that was intuitive and rewarding.
2. A physical brand presence in a high-traffic retail environment.
3. A meaningful and rewarding prize structure that aligned with Checkatrade’s value proposition.

By turning a functional product launch into a fun, gamified experience, Checkatrade demonstrated its innovation while building emotional connection with new users. Sometimes, getting out there is all that's needed to leave a great impression!

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In summary...

For brands launching new tech-led features, especially in fintech, retail, utilities, or service industries, interactive prize promotions offer an unbeatable way to bridge the digital-physical gap.

With expert support from Prize Professionals, brands can focus on their story, while we handle everything else: creative concepting, logistics, legal compliance, fulfilment and winner management.