roamli
Small Business Saturday, played shop by shop.
Turn the biggest shop-local day of the year into a game that walks people through every participating storefront. A photo or trivia challenge at each shop, a leaderboard for bragging rights, and prizes claimed at the register. Here is the playbook for downtowns, chambers and Main Street programs.
The Downtown Dayton Adventure turned a whole downtown into a one-day game.
Read the Downtown Dayton storyA reason to walk into the next shop, and the one after that.
Most Small Business Saturday promotions tell people to shop local. A hunt gives them a route, a goal and a prize for visiting one more door. It's the difference between a poster and a plan for the day.
Weighing a paper passport? Roamli vs paper passports
Shop-local days that filled the sidewalks.
It's a chance for people to come out and rediscover their favorite spots throughout the city or explore new businesses and sights that have opened since their last visit.
and nearly 300 submissions in a four-hour Black Business Month event.
Read the storyYour Small Business Saturday, step by step.
This is the plan we run with downtowns and chambers: merchants on board early, one big day, and the shops doing the promoting.
How Roamli works for downtowns-
Step 1
Set the goal and the footprint
Decide which blocks are in, what success looks like (players, businesses, prizes redeemed) and your budget for prizes. Choose a format: a scavenger hunt shows every stop as a search zone on the map and lets people wander in any order; a walking tour follows a set route. For shop-local days, naming the shop in each challenge keeps it easy.
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Step 2
Recruit your merchants
Pitch every business on the footprint (see the pitch below). For each yes, collect a challenge idea, an optional prize or offer, and a contact for the day.
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Step 3
Build the hunt
- Pin each shop on the map and write its challenge
- Tag stops by block or by type (food, gifts, services) so shoppers can filter
- Set the start and end time; challenges stay hidden until opening
- Set up prizes and who can earn them
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Step 4
Promote it everywhere
Download the event's QR code for window posters, share the link in newsletters and with local media, and point people to the auto-built player guide page that explains how to play.
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Step 5
Test every stop and brief the counters
Walk the route and play a few challenges yourself. Show each merchant how prize redemption works: the shopper shows the reward on their phone, staff tap Redeem, and it's stamped with the date.
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Step 6Game day
Open the doors
The hunt opens on schedule. Review photos as they come in (or auto-approve), and send announcements to everyone playing when you want to steer the crowd.
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Step 7
Thank your merchants with numbers
Send each business its submission count and prizes redeemed, share the best photos, and start the conversation about the next one.
The pitch is simple: we're sending people through your door.
Merchants say yes when joining costs them almost nothing and the benefit is obvious. Here's what to tell them, and how to answer what they'll ask.
Your shop becomes a stop on the map.
- Players come to you on purpose, looking for your challenge
- You choose the challenge: a window display, a question about your history, a product to find
- No hardware, no stamps, no app for your staff to learn
- Optionally, offer a small prize that brings players back to buy
- Afterward, you'll hear how many players completed your stop
What they'll ask, and what to say.
- What do my staff have to do?
- Usually nothing beyond saying hello. If you offer a prize, staff tap Redeem on the shopper's phone when they claim it.
- Do we need a tablet or a scanner?
- No. Everything happens on the shopper's phone.
- Will people just take a photo and leave?
- Challenges that happen inside the shop (find a product, ask the owner a question) and prizes redeemed at your counter give them reasons to stay and buy.
- Can we promote our own offer?
- Yes. Put it in your challenge description, or make it the prize for completing your stop.
A challenge for every kind of storefront.
The best Small Business Saturday challenges get people through the door and talking to the owner. Each asks for a photo, a short video or a typed answer.
Food and drinkCafés, bakeries and taprooms: the stops people linger at. 4 ideas
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BakeryVideo
“Raise a cookie and give the bakery a 20-second toast.”
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Coffee shopPhoto
“Show us the seasonal drink on the menu board, cup in hand.”
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RestaurantPhoto
“Snap today's specials board. Bonus points if you order one.”
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TaproomPhoto
“Find the tap handle named after the neighborhood.”
Shops and makersWindows, shelves and owners with a story to tell. 6 ideas
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BoutiquePhoto
“Strike the same pose as the mannequin in our front window.”
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Hardware storeTrivia
“Ask at the counter: what year did this store first open?”
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BookstoreTrivia
“Find the staff pick by the register. What's the title?”
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Gallery or makerOpen answer
“Which piece in the shop would you take home, and why? One sentence.”
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FloristPhoto
“Find the most festive arrangement in the shop and photograph it.”
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Toy & gift shopPhoto
“Ask the owner for their all-time bestseller and pose with it.”
Services and any shopChallenges that work at a salon, a bank, or any door on the block. 4 ideas
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Salon or barberPhoto
“A photo in the chair (with permission, between appointments).”
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Bank or officeTrivia
“How many ornaments are on the tree in the lobby?”
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Any shopOpen answer
“Ask the owner why they opened here. Tell us in one sentence.”
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Any shopPhoto
“Show us a receipt from any participating shop. Cover the card numbers.”
Between the shopsWindows, art and history that keep people walking the whole footprint. 4 ideas
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Holiday windowsPhoto
“Your favorite holiday window on the block, with you in the reflection.”
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Public artPhoto
“Recreate the pose of someone in the mural on the corner.”
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Hidden historyTrivia
“What's carved above the door of the oldest building on Main Street?”
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Giving backPhoto
“Drop a canned good at the collection box outside the chamber office.”
How big can it get? One Roamli event has room for every shop on a busy main street plus a few landmarks. Downtown Dayton's single-day hunt involved more than 140 businesses.
Rewards: prizes players claim at a real counter.
Points keep score. Rewards give people a reason to walk somewhere, go inside, and come back. Here is one reward from the Roamli Scramble in Chicago, from the moment a shop offered it to the moment it was redeemed.
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A local business offers a prize.
Ava's Italian Ice put up $2 off an Italian ice and a BOGO flight, only in person. You add a reward once to your library and reuse it across events.
- A code, a link or a personal message
- One shared code, or a pool of unique codes imported from a spreadsheet
- A cap on how many players can earn it
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Players see it, and go after it.
Every reward shows on the event's reward board with a progress bar, so players know exactly what they're playing for and how close they are. A prize at the ice cream shop turns its challenges into the ones everyone wants to finish next.
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It unlocks on the spot.
The moment a player hits the goal, the reward unlocks automatically, with a scratch-off ticket to reveal the prize. Nobody waits for a raffle weeks later. Every reward they earn stays in My Rewards, across every event.
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They walk in and claim it.
The player shows their phone at the counter and staff tap Redeem. It's stamped with the date, so every prize is used exactly once. Nothing to install at the register, and no paper to collect.
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You see exactly what it drove.
Each reward shows how many were claimed, allocated and still free, and warns you before a code pool runs dry. Those redemption counts are real visits to a real business, a number you can hand to a sponsor or a member.
Four ways to unlock a reward
- A points total Reach 100 points and unlock $5 off at any participating shop.
- Challenges approved Get 10 shop challenges approved and win a free hot chocolate.
- A specific stop Finish the bookstore challenge and get a bookmark and 10% off.
- A leaderboard finish The top 3 teams win gift cards donated by local businesses.
Supercharge your event.
Add one prize and the whole game changes, for the people playing and for you.
For players
- Real stakesA prize on the line turns a stroll into a race.
- The unlock momentThe reward pops up on the spot, with a scratch-off reveal.
- Something to take homeA free scoop, a discount or a gift card, saved in My Rewards.
For your event
- Foot trafficPrizes are claimed at the counter, so players step inside.
- Proof for sponsorsEvery redemption is a visit you can count.
- Repeat visitsRewards bring players back through your doors.
Let the windows do the talking.
Your merchants are your biggest channel. Give them something easy to put up and something easy to say.
In every window
The event's QR code on a poster in each participating shop, with a line about the prizes, plus a counter card by the register.
Online, in the right places
The event link in your newsletter, on social, with local media and in merchant posts, pointing to the player guide so people arrive ready to play.
On the street
A table at the busiest corner with a big QR sign and someone to help people join. A friendly face reaches people social media never will.
Game day, hour by hour.
Four moments to run, from the first poster check to the final whistle.
Before the doors open
- Confirm every window poster is up
- Check trivia answers that could change (displays, staff picks)
- Set up the welcome table and phone chargers
The hunt goes live
- The event opens at the time you set
- Post the link on social as it opens
- Help first-timers join at the table
Steer the crowd
- Review photos as they arrive, or auto-approve
- Announce a lunch special or a quiet block that needs visitors
- Touch base with merchants on prize claims
Finish strong
- The hunt closes on schedule; late answers don't count
- Announce the top shoppers and prize winners
- Download every photo and video for the recap
What you'll have on Monday morning.
Everything you need for the board report and the merchant thank-you emails is already in your Roamli dashboard.
Add sales to the story: ask merchants to note their Saturday takings, and add a receipt challenge so players can show what they bought. Paired with your submission counts, that gives every business its own Saturday number.
Plans from $49/mo, or we build it.
Small team, big footprint? Our team can write the challenges, design the map and handle setup for you.
Build it yourself
Use our builder to create, launch and monitor your event yourself. Add your challenges, set your start and end times, share one link, and you're live.
Ready-to-Go
We adapt one of our starting formats (holiday office hunt, downtown shop-local, orientation week, art walk) to your place and your people.
The Roamli Touch
Want our team to handle design, setup and launch? Or just some extra help and peace of mind? We design, build and run it with you.
What districts ask before Small Business Saturday.
Each answer opens the page with the full story.
How many businesses can we include?
Every participating shop plus a few landmarks, in one event. Downtown Dayton's single-day hunt involved more than 140 businesses.
Read the Dayton storyHow much work is it for our merchants?
Very little. There's nothing to install or scan. If a shop offers a prize, staff tap Redeem on the shopper's phone when it's claimed.
See how prizes workWhat results will we have for our members?
Player counts, submissions for every stop, prizes redeemed for every reward, and every photo and video in one download.
See the recapCan sponsors be part of it?
Yes. A sponsor's location can be a stop with its own challenge, sponsors can donate the leaderboard prizes, and on Creator Pro the event can carry your district's branding.
See brandingWe're a two-person team. Can you build it for us?
Yes. With The Roamli Touch we write the challenges, design the map, handle setup and launch, and stay your point person through game day.
See The Roamli TouchDo you have a shop-local format we can start from?
Yes. With Ready-to-Go we adapt our downtown shop-local format to your district, with your shops, trivia and prizes added.
See Ready-to-GoTell us about your district.
How many businesses, which blocks, and what you'd count as a win. We'll come back with a plan and a price.
Start the conversation
Let's map your Small Business Saturday.
A 30-minute call. We'll sketch your footprint and first merchant stops live.