7 cool interactive marketing examples [expert tips]

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Interactive marketing encourages customer and visitor participation in branded digital experiences. The best interactive marketing examples manage to deliver what customers want while collecting the data you need to build effective marketing strategies.

Examples of interactive marketing include dynamic email content, gamified website popups, quizzes, AR try-ons, and referral challenges.

Introducing unique interactive content for your customer journey’s awareness, consideration, conversion, retention, and advocacy stages will drive a significant return on investment (ROI).

Join us below to discover seven interactive marketing campaigns from successful stores and tips to maximize your efforts.

What is interactive marketing?

Interactive marketing creates shoppable, clickable, and shareable brand experiences to encourage engagement. The purpose is to turn hesitant buyers, passive browsers, new visitors, and unengaged subscribers into brand participants.

Tools like gamified website popups, product configurators, email countdown timers, and other interactive elements can help boost email signups, encourage first purchases, collect segmentation data, and guide customers through your sales funnel.

Different interactive content at each stage of the customer journey will benefit your customer experience, from quizzes and AR filters that build awareness to loyalty games that turn buyers into advocates.

The table below shows the ecommerce customer journey stages and examples of interactive marketing you can use:

Ecommerce customer journey stage	Interactive marketing tactics
Awareness	Quizzes, polls, interactive infographics, social media challenges, AR filters
Consideration	Product comparison tools, interactive videos, shoppable lookbooks, live Q&A
Conversion	Dynamic pricing calculators, AR try-ons, personalized product recommendations
Retention	Interactive loyalty programs, gamified rewards, post-purchase surveys
Advocacy	Referral challenges, interactive testimonials, social sharing contests

Benefits of interactive marketing

There are six key benefits to interactive marketing campaigns:

1. Gain more audience insights

Interactive marketing encourages engagement, giving you more insights into your audience as they open, click, tap, shop, share, and explore your content.

For instance, gamified popups and quizzes can reveal customer preferences and motivations through their choices and interactions.

A/B testing these interactive elements, alongside messaging and timing, shows which experiences and delivery methods drive high engagement. You can then refine your marketing strategy to create better customer experiences.

2. Advanced segmentation

Create new segment filters alongside your interactive marketing elements to group subscribers that engage with your content. Divide them by preferences, interests, and engagement levels to create lists for targeted marketing.

For instance, create a filter in your email marketing software for subscribers who provide a survey rating for their orders and those who complete your Wheel of Fortune popup.

Segmentation will help you categorize your most engaged subscribers and reveal opportunities for upselling, cross-selling, and win-back campaigns.

3. Increase conversion rates

Interactive elements create content experiences that people want to interact with. Product configurators, AR try-ons, shoppable videos, and personalized product recommendations guide customers naturally toward purchase decisions.

You can go further with interactive elements across your customer service and member accounts, enabling live chat support to address hesitations in real time and bundle builders on your store to give customers discount control.

4. Reduce bounce rates

Interactive content reduces bounce rates by giving web visitors clear reasons to stay and explore. Rather than quick scans, customers engage with product customization tools, join live events, and participate in seasonal games or contests.

Visitors who would otherwise leave your site because it didn’t initially offer what they needed could stick around long enough to buy or subscribe to your mailing list, allowing you to deliver deals and offers to them later.

5. Social sharing opportunities

Unique and interesting customer experiences allow you to update your social media profiles and encourage people to interact.

Interactive quizzes, AR experiences, and custom product designs create shareable content that sparks conversations and drives organic engagement.

Your social feeds will stay fresh with user-generated content as customers share their interactive moments and participate in your community.

6. Higher marketing ROI

An interactive marketing strategy drives higher ROI with dynamic, measurable experiences that deliver higher engagement rates than static content.

Personalized, interactive experiences can guide users through the purchase journey, convert hesitant buyers and window shoppers, and enrich the experience of existing customers to encourage additional and larger purchases.

You can also use interactive elements in your automated messages, which generate 37% of orders from only 2% of sends. For instance, you could create a browse abandonment sequence with dynamic product recommendations to re-engage the briefest store visitors.

Types of interactive marketing

There are six main types of interactive marketing:

1. Dynamic content in emails

Personalize every email by pulling in customer purchase history, browsing behavior, and preferences where relevant. Replace generic newsletters with targeted recommendations that feel crafted just for one person.

Omnisend makes it easy to add dynamic content to your email template with drag-and-drop content blocks:

Track which content generates clicks and conversions to improve your approach in future automated sequences and campaigns. Trial different types of product suggestions, such as those based on browsing history and past purchases.

2. Interactive onsite campaigns

Move beyond static web pages with elements that invite customer participation. A Wheel of Fortune can offer instant discounts, product configurators let customers customize their ideal item, and quick surveys guide shoppers to perfect product matches.

Use these tools to collect data, enhance your shopping experience, and encourage browsers to subscribe to your mailing list.

Here’s an example of a Wheel of Fortune created with Omnisend:

3. Generators and calculators

Give customers practical tools that help them make decisions. For example, a nutrition brand might offer a meal planning calculator, while a home improvement store could estimate project costs with filters for labor and materials.

Omnisend uses a calculator to help marketers calculate A/B testing results:

Solving real problems and providing immediate information builds trust, creates shareable experiences, and moves customers closer to purchase.

4. AI-powered tools

Use artificial intelligence to create suggestions that adapt to individual customers for a more immersive shopping experience.

Underwear retailer OddBalls uses the Wisepops AI Wishlist app to create wish lists based on previously viewed products:

You could create product recommendations based on past shopping behavior, provide instant customer support that understands context, create personalized styling suggestions, and display frequently bought together sections on product pages.

5. Live social media content

Turn social media from a broadcast channel into a two-way conversation with customers. Host live product demonstrations, run real-time Q&A sessions, create user-generated content challenges, and use interactive polls to learn their preferences.

Combine live social media events with email competitions to amplify engagement and gather deeper customer insights. Denim retailer Naked & Famous did just that with behind-the-scenes and product reveal live streams:

6. VR and AR marketing

Let customers virtually try on clothing, preview furniture in their own space, or explore products through immersive 360° experiences.

Kia provides an excellent example with its virtual showroom, allowing customers to visit and explore the interior and exterior of its cars in detail:

These interactive technologies can reduce purchase hesitation and help your store stand out among competitors still using static images.

Interactive marketing examples

Check out these interactive marketing examples to inspire your efforts:

1. To’ak Chocolate — dynamic abandoned cart email

Type: Dynamic email

Goals: Reduce cart abandonment rate, drive traffic back to website

To’ak Chocolate’s abandoned cart email strategy is a fantastic example of how interactive marketing automation can increase sales.

It uses personalized, storytelling-driven emails to achieve remarkable results, including a 2,195% higher revenue-per-email for abandoned cart series and generating 39% of its email marketing revenue through automated messages.

Best features

• Narrative-driven content that highlights the unique story behind the product
• Detailed product description connecting to the brand’s cultural and agricultural heritage
• A personalized approach that goes beyond simple reminders, creating an emotional connection with potential buyers

2. Nespresso — coffee quiz

Type: Quiz

Goals: Personalized product recommendations, boost sales

Nespresso’s interactive coffee matching quiz provides a personalized approach to helping customers find their ideal coffee blend by asking engaging questions about taste preferences.

The quiz transforms product selection from a passive browsing experience through categories into an immersive and fun experience.

Best features

• The step-by-step questionnaire makes product selection a fun, guided experience
• Clever use of relatable questions (like chocolate preferences) to determine coffee recommendations
• Reduces decision fatigue by providing tailored suggestions based on individual taste profiles

3. Seamm — virtual try-on

Type: AR (augmented reality) virtual try-on

Goals: Enhance online shopping experience, reduce purchase hesitation, provide interactive product visualization

Seamm’s AR try-on technology allows customers to virtually wear clothing using their device’s camera, bridging the gap between online and in-store shopping experiences.

The innovative approach helps shoppers visualize how garments look on their bodies, potentially increasing confidence in online purchase decisions.

Best features

• Real-time camera integration that instantly displays clothing on the user’s body
• Reduces uncertainty in online clothing shopping by providing personalized visualization
• Enables quick size, color, and fit assessment without physical try-on

4. IKEA — virtual room designer

Type: Virtual room design tool

Goals: Enhance customer visualization, simplify home design, improve online shopping experience

IKEA Kreativ is a web tool that allows customers to virtually design and visualize furniture arrangements in their own spaces and experiment with different room layouts, product combinations, and design styles before purchasing.

To find the best products, users can choose between blank and pre-furnished rooms with multiple layouts, sizes, and color schemes.

Best features

• Provides free, user-friendly room design with intelligent item placement
• Offers multiple pre-designed room templates across various styles and sizes
• Allows real-time customization and sharing of virtual room designs

5. Cuisinart — product giveaway

Type: Giveaway email

Goals: Increase brand engagement, generate social media interaction, create partnership marketing opportunity

Cuisinart’s giveaway email promotes a collaborative marketing campaign with Simply Organic. It allows customers to win a high-value food processor and spice collection.

The email leverages the excitement of potential prizes to drive audience engagement and direct traffic to its Instagram page.

Best features

• Combines product promotion with a collaborative partnership marketing approach
• Creates urgency with a clear end date for the giveaway
• Encourages cross-platform engagement by directing users to Instagram

6. Memo Paris — memory game

Type: Interactive memory game

Goals: Enhance user engagement, help customers discover perfume collections, create a memorable brand experience

Memo Paris offers an interactive memory game on its website that transforms fragrance selection into a playful, engaging experience.

The game allows users to explore scent collections by matching pairs, turning product discovery into an entertaining journey.

Best features

• Gamifies the perfume selection process, making brand interaction more enjoyable
• Encourages exploration of different fragrance collections
• Provides a unique, interactive way to connect customers with product offerings

7. Prometheus Fuels — interactive value proposition

Type: Interactive storytelling with animations

Goals: Communicate brand mission, create immersive user experience, explain complex technology through visual narrative

Prometheus Fuels’ website presents its zero net carbon fuel technology via an interactive, mouse-driven animation experience, allowing users to explore a three-chapter narrative with a dynamically moving Mustang.

Best features

• Animations maintain user engagement while explaining technical innovation
• Mouse movement creates an immersive, participatory storytelling experience
• Breaks down complex technological concepts into visually compelling narratives

Summary

Interactive marketing can transform your ecommerce strategy with engaging customer experiences across multiple touchpoints.

From gamified popups and dynamic emails to AR try-ons and interactive quizzes, you can collect valuable customer data while driving conversions.

The trick to seeing results is selecting tools that match your audience’s needs and integrating them thoughtfully into your customer journey.

For example, if new site visitors browse multiple products, add an AI-powered wish list generator to your site and encourage them to sign up. If they already have wish lists, send them discount emails targeting those items.

Test multiple interactive branding tactics, monitor your metrics to see what works, and refine your approach for maximum ROI.