I received these two text messages Friday morning from Tabcorp. While they do mention in-store purchase in the text message, the link, of course, if for online purchase.
Tabcorp people know what they are doing here – leveraging uncertainty over lockdown to drive online purchases. And, yes, I checked, the link in the text message does take you to their site for online purchase.
I think the mention of in-store is only so they have a defence in case retailers complain. This text message is all about online purchase, which reinforces my view that there is little to no upside in over the counter lottery sales in retail.
What could Tabcorp have done? They could have setup a page on their website listing all their retailers permitted to be open, and promoted that.
I’m surprised by how often customers flippantly mention that they buy their lotto online, oblivious of the impact online purchasing has on traditional lotto retailers. Retailers could respond with some sort of awareness campaign, preferably positive rather than negative. Something like: “Buy your lotto from a local lotto shop. It’s a great way to support small business.”