The Surprising Role of Gamification in Boosting Customer Engagement

Introduction:

In this digital world, consumers are constantly bombarded with promotional messages where every new WebDriver, app, or website wants to grab their attention, staying out can prove to be extremely difficult for marketers. Static techniques on the other hand, although useful, lack to capture and retain the attention of a jaded audience. Here enters the superhero of this situation and blog- gamification. It is a concept that has been making waves in customer engagement strategies.

But as you just read out this term, it is tough to digest its superb functionality in your marketing strategies. So, hold your horses and relax as it’s time to reveal the concept of gamification in detail. Let’s get started:

What is Gamification?

Gamification refers to the use of game-related design elements in contexts that are outside of the gaming domain with the aim of promoting or improving user experience. This includes the use of points, badges, leaderboards, and challenges whereby these elements are incorporated into the activities experienced in the day-to-day activities. Although gamification has been originally associated with its application in the sphere of obligatory training and increased productivity, its potential in customer relations seems to be quite promising.

Gamification and Customer Engagement: 

Recent research done on gamification shows how it can be used to increase customer engagement. Also, incorporating gamification strategies will take engagement levels by 100%-150%. This is no small feat to undertake as competition for consumer attention is fierce in the current world that is increasingly going digital.

Also, 72% of business leaders believe that it enhances the user experience. This statistic, however, makes more sense especially if one considers how the consumers of today appreciate participation and engagement. Opponents, on the other hand, are quick to call gamification just another trend, which is far from the truth, as, when implemented correctly, it can boost the company’s customer engagement to the greatest extent.

How Gamification Drives Engagement

As in the above section we came across the fact that gamification is not just a trend it actually drives engagement, but the question is still there; How? So, here are the following points:

• Creating a Sense of Achievement

Gamification taps into the human desire for achievement and recognition. By offering rewards, such as points or badges, businesses create a sense of accomplishment for their customers. This recognition not only motivates customers to engage more deeply with the brand but also fosters a positive emotional connection. It is found that 89% of customers would prefer to engage with a brand that has a feature of offering a reward. Therefore, it is clear that recognition and reward can enhance customer engagement tremendously.

• Enhancing User Experience

Well-designed gamified experience significantly improves the outlook of performing even the monotonous of activities. By introducing such a concept as challenges, and keeping a record of achievements, it becomes possible to turn ordinary conversations into engaging affairs. Another fact is that gamification can lead to a 30% increase in user retention rates. Thinking about it? It’s quite simple as it increases overall interactivity and makes the experience more enjoyable, leading users to retain it for a long time. 

• Encouraging Customer Loyalty

It plays an important role in customer loyalty, as it is easy for customers to remain loyal to brands with which they are familiar and have had good experiences. That’s why many loyalty programs– with the use of tiered reward systems and access to unique and special challenges– can improve customer retention. Most of the customers plan to shop with brands that have loyalty programs with features of gamification so this best strategy does not only attract buyers but also keep them coming back.

• Driving Behavioral Change

Introducing fun elements into the process may be useful in achieving certain changes in the behavior of customers. For instance, brands can apply gamification to encourage some behaviors like making a purchase, inviting friends, or giving feedback. The companies applying gamification have reported a boost in their customer’s engagement in such behaviors. It is therefore good for businesses to map the fun in games with the intended behavior that is of value to the company or organization.

Examples of Successful Gamification in Action

Here are some top brands who opt gamification in their marketing strategies and now gaining good responses, read out their experience and implement it for your company too:

• Starbucks Rewards Program

Probably, the best-known and one of the most successful examples of using gamification to increase customer involvement is Starbucks’ rewards program. The program has a star-based system through which customers accumulate stars for every purchase made and these stars can be used to redeem the rewards. This idea has also served as a way of actively increasing customer loyalty, and at the same time encouraging them to spend more money. It is found that loyalty members tend to spend, generally, 2.5 times more than the non-members.

• Nike+ Run Club

Nike+ Run Club is another suitable example; it is Nike’s app for fitness and it uses game aspects into it. To encourage more physical activity among the users, the app uses elements such as challenges, badges, or even leaderboards. The implementation of the gamification elements attracts the attention of the consumers and the social aspect of the workout could be attributed to the brand association effect with Nike. Therefore Nike has gained many users and brand loyalty through this kind of innovation in their marketing strategies on social networks.

• Duolingo

A mobile application that helps people learn a new language is Duolingo in which developers use a game approach to make the process exciting. It incorporates levels, which create simple goals for the users; streaks, which let users see their consistency; and rewards, making sure that users do not lose their motivation. Thanks to its glancing approach, there are millions of active users and high levels of user satisfaction in the application.

The Future of Gamification in Customer Engagement

As technology continues to evolve, so too will the possibilities for gamification. It is only necessary to say that opportunities for the further application of the elements of gamification will also increase along with the development of technology. Overall, the prospect of using engagement in customer relations in the future seems rather rosy, especially given the existing developments in fields such as AR and VR, which should help to expand the possibilities of gamified experiences significantly. These technologies provide essentially more vibrant and engaging methods that businesses can embrace to reach their customers.

Also, as personalization is gaining importance, it becomes more explicit that gamification approaches will be developed for each person’s unique characteristics. It is expected that this will lead to increased engagement levels with brands as the customers’ interactions with brands are more personalized and valuable.

Conclusion

Customer engagement is among the areas that benefit from gamification, which presents numerous advantages that help in increasing interaction, customer loyalty, and certain behaviors. In the world of business with many companies trying to reach out to their respective consumers in the most creative way possible one cannot afford to ignore the concept of gamification. Also, the further development of new technologies and respective individual customer experience will increase reliance on the gamification process in terms of the future outlook of customer relations. So, why wait, opt for this strategy today. Contact us to enquire more.