By collecting images of receipts, the two brands can use the contents of consumers? shopping receipts for further knowledge on its audience regarding consumption habits. Furthermore, these promotions have likely been constructed to mobilize the in-store experience for smartphone users.

?What is interesting about this promotion is that it involves the shopper taking a photo of their receipt to enter the contest,? said Gib Bassett, global program director of consumer goods at Teradata, Chicago. ?Often times this step isn?t a key part of a point of sale sweeps, but it?s great because it can provide some interesting insight direct to the brand about the shopper?s market basket contents and value, which they don?t get to see related to a specific shopper?s identity.

?Whereas in the past it might not be realistic, the fact that almost everyone has a smartphone makes the receipt photo a relatively easy ask of the brand.?  

Mr. Bassett is not affiliated with Dr Pepper or Snickers but agreed to comment as an industry expert.

The promotion has been placed at the checkout near Snickers bars and are labeled Refuel and Win, aimed to encourage consumers to fill up and not run on empty. 

When users buy two Snickers and two bottles of Dr Pepper  at Walmart, they can snap a photo of their receipt and send it via text or email to .

Submissions will qualify users to win one of 250 $100 Walmart gas or gift cards. The campaign runs from June 16 to September 15.

Through this contest, the two brands are likely attempting to learn more about their most dedicated customers. They want to know other products these customers are purchasing, which could lead to future marketing efforts in attempt to offer more targeted offers.

By offering in-store experiences that use mobile technology, the participating brands provide  

?In-store mobile is one of the most powerful tools available to brand managers for in-store marketing,? said Jason Goldberg, vice president of strategy at Razorfish, Chicago. ?As retailers get more prescriptive and strict with their visual merchandising standards, it?s very difficult for brands to have their own voice in the store, where the overwhelming majority of purchase decisions are still made. 

?Mobile is particularly powerful for in-store promotions, because it solves two significant problems that traditional brand promotions have faced. First, in-store promotions have traditionally been difficult to setup and administer because they usually require complex integration with the brand and the retailers POS systems.

?Second, traditional in-store promotions have been difficult for consumers to redeem, which greatly erodes their effectiveness. Digital receipt validation from a smartphone camera solves both of these problems.? 

Walmart, Dr Pepper and Snickers? approach is an easy execution for both the retailer and consumer.

?The mobile phone transforms in-store promotions from something that only a small segment of value shoppers use, to a true driver of impulse purchases,? Mr. Goldberg said. ?As a bonus, these programs can also give brands insight into the complete shopping basket of the consumer.?

Mr. Goldberg is not affiliated with the brands mentioned but agreed to comment as an industry expert.

Coca-Cola?s Minute Maid and Heinz Co.?s Smart Ones also used receipt-based promotions using mobile technology for a more seamless customer experience at Walmart (see story).

Earlier this year, Home Depot, Coca-Cola and Makita teamed up on a campaign that leveraged print receipts to give away a trip and tickets for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Social, direct mail, in-store, digital and mobile components were all included in the Win to Brazil campaign, but the use of mobile was particularly intriguing in the brands? FIFA push since it brought together in-store purchases and digital with the photo upload of a receipt. At the same time, some industry experts believed that the campaign missed out on a bigger opportunity to build ongoing engagement after the sports tournament ended (see story).

These efforts have shown to drive conversion and engagement and build a community between brands and their customers.

?Like all promotions of this ilk, however, it must be a ?no purchase necessary? type, but promotional contests like these can be effective at both driving purchase and helping brands establish that golden direct communication relationship to engage consumers beyond the promotional period,? Mr. Bassett said.