Running from the 21-29 September, the mobile competition was in support of Purple Flag Week, a scheme that acknowledges excellence in night-time city centre management. Developed by partner companies MoLo Rewards and the Association of Town & City Management, it was hoped that the treasure hunt would attract customers and increase sales in the towns that got involved.

Costa Coffee was one of the brands that chose to run the scheme nationally, with all of its stores in participating areas providing prizes such as money off coupons for customers to win.  However, many other popular retail and hospitality brands including Lush, Odeon and Pizza Express also took part on a more local level.

Consumers needed to scan a MoLo NFC tag to receive their first treasure hunt clue, which were either located on its website or on posters displayed in participating retailers. Shoppers were then able to build up points throughout each stage of the game, tapping contactless points for more clues as they went along.  Players that hit targets were then entered into prize draws.

Chris Davies, chief operations officer of MoLo Rewards, said: "I believe by making NFC fun and placing reward at the centre of the consumer engagement, it is the most likely way of gaining uptake of the mobile phone contactless platform/ecosystem while providing significant value to participating brands in terms of increased footfall and sales."