Generally speaking, the more time a customer spends browsing your shop area, the more likely they are to buy something. Some companies challenge customers to find a hidden object in the shop. If the customer can find it, they receive a prize.
A diving centre located in East Anglia, England used the same technique. They hid a small soft toy (dolphin) in one of the displays. If a customer found it, they received a coupon for their next visit. It encouraged customers who ordinarily would drive past the shop to come in and browse. It also encourages frequent customers to visit areas of the store they had not visited recently. You can use this to direct people to stock you may need to clear.
You could also do this online. Find an entertaining photo and post it to a specific part of your website. In your next email blast, invite customers to participate in your online scavenger hunt. This encourages your customers to spend time browsing your website (learning about upcoming classes, trips, etc). If students locate your funny photo, have them email you the web link in exchange for some kind of prize. This is also a great way to re-launch a web site.
Prizes can be coupons, store-branded clothing, free underwater camera rental, the winner’s photo on your website, air fills, whatever you want. Be clear about the rules and post a disclaimer such as “limit one prize per person.”
