Re-inventing customer experience with games.
Love for games is universal.
Whether we’re playing candy crush on mobile or FIFA with friends, the feeling of triumph is common. To achieve that, we don’t mind playing several rounds of the same game in one streak. Once we win, blood starts flowing through our veins again and makes us happy.
If I rephrase, the fear of losing is a great motivator for people to reach the finish line.
This gaming philosophy, or gamification, has been the current epicenter of innovation and creative visualization for brands.
Brands are creating personalized mascots, stop-motion animation, or doodles through gamification software to ring bells of empathy and diversity among the masses.
What are common examples of gamification?
Some common examples of gamification include poll quizzes, trivia games, puzzles, workout games, 3D laser simulation, and augmented reality marketing, among many others. Brands integrate gamification into marketing campaigns or feedback systems to improve the product experience, enhance brand visibility, and inspire action.
Many non-gaming domains of education, e-commerce, banking, retail, food, beverages, and so on are creating gamification strategies to personalize their websites and stand out from the rest of the players.
Let’s peek into a few famous gamification examples across different companies :
1. Fitbit
Fitbit is a consumer electronics brand that markets its wireless wearables and other gadgets through gamification. You can easily keep a tab on your overall health by downloading the Fitbit fitness app and syncing it with your Fitbit device, say, a smartwatch via BlueTooth. The device features a visual display that tracks your steps, spO2 levels, burnt calories, and many other bodily functions.
Source: UX for the masses
Fitbit’s mobile application also has been designed in a game-influenced layout, which makes it easy for you to navigate around and perform a specific action. It maintains a calendar-wise workout activity and tracks your everyday progress via real-time analytics. The app also contains user rewards for the ones who remain consistent with their exercise routines.
In a nutshell, Fitbit provides intrinsic motivation to people to walk regularly, shed off extra pounds, and stay healthy.
2. Nike run club
The Nike run club uses the game elements to display the distance you ran or walked, personalize workout suggestions, and suggest good articles. With Nike run club, you would never feel as if you’re running alone. During the lockdown, the number of downloads of Nike run club hit the mark of 15.4 million as user engagement peaked.
Source: 9to5Mac
Along with working on their fitness targets, users can also share their accomplishments via social media to validate their efforts.
3. Duolingo
Keeping up with the communication barriers we face, Duolingo developed a unique language learning app that works on gamification. The developers of Duolingo launched 98 educational courses that taught 39 new languages, representing every major country in the world. Duolingo’s main interface comprises animated characters and color pops to catch your maximum attention.
Source: raw. studio
Based on the Octalysis gamification framework, the app analyses human sentiments and learning patterns in humans to create attractive reward packages. For every course you take, there is a hidden reward in form of badges or coins. It also triggers funny notifications that remind you to complete the course and become a language expert.
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Duolingo’s gamification approach might seem a hindrance to some, but it made others feel valued and wanted. The strategy of Duolingo to keep a prospect as the center of focus fetched them a revenue fortune.
4. KFC
A Japanese Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC outlet promoted their newest line of shrimp food items via gamification. In collaboration with Nintendo, the game designers, KFC created “Shrimp Attack.” To win this game, users had to defend a KFC castle by slicing as many shrimps as they could, just like a fruit ninja.
5.M&M
M&M’s eye spy pretzel game is one of the most famous examples of gamification and how one should use it. When M&M released a new pretzel-flavored chocolate, it decided to advertise them using gamification. They launched an eye-spy game for consumers. Like Candy Crush, they had to find one hidden pretzel among thousands of M&Ms placed inside a rectangular box.
This simple but inquisitive game brought tangible benefits to the campaign, along with increased sales and ARR growth for M&M. The brand’s Facebook page got 25,000 new likes, 6,000 shares, and 10,000 comments. M&M’s initiative to engage with social media users and spread the launch buzz won the praise of every marketer.
Source: Pinterest
6. Donut Papi
Donut Papi is a small Australian Donut brand based out of New South Wales that improved user experience through gamification. They partnered with “Gamify” to launch a mobile game, known as “Match-game” which users can download through the website.
The prize pool for game winners consisted of one weekly giveaway; one box of donuts (6 donuts). The person who kept a consistently high score won it.
The results? Traffic went to the next level! In about two weeks, Donut Papi doubled its previous customer acquisition numbers.
7. Coca-Cola and Nescafé
Both Coca-Cola and Nescafé leveraged gamification to elevate the in-store product experience. In partnership with Ksubaka (a personalization engine), they created immersive “Moments of Joy” for their consumers. If consumers were a few feet away from the product shelf, their smartphones captured MoJo signals.
Source: EnGaming8. Pepsi Max
Pepsi Max unfurled the next generation of gamification through their BTL marketing campaigns. They created a 3D simulation of a virtual dragon shooting lasers or a tiger charging at passengers waiting at a London bus stop using augmented reality technology. This experience was horrifying but entertaining at the same time. It also established Pepsi Max as a trendsetter in Martech.
Source: YouTube
9. Starbucks
When it comes to being up-to-speed with tech trends, no one does it better than the Starbucks coffee chain. With the “My Rewards” program of the Starbucks application, customers earn a few stars or points every time they place an order. On completion of a specific number of stars, consumers avail of discounted vouchers at the nearest coffee outlet. Most Starbucks visits are further upgraded with a free coffee or a sandwich.
Starbucks’ application also has a seamless digital interface with integrated features like online ordering, pay later, and customized music playlists via Spotify. Whether creating the world’s best coffee or providing the best user experience, Starbucks is a master of the game.
Source: Bootcamp
10. Headspace
Today, each of us runs a rat race for money but forgets what we lose. Headspace is a mental health and wellness app that brings back the lost charm of a positive mindset.
The app features guided meditation, games, and other recreational activities for users to unwind at the end of a hectic day. Using game-style design illustrations and graphics shocks the user’s system and reminds them of what is essential to lead a happy life. People across every age group can explore headspace different ways to soothe themselves, reduce anxiety and engage with fellow enthusiasts.
Source: UXplanet
11. Uber
The Uber app uses gamification from a business perspective. A reward system or ludic loop is activated at the driver’s end, which tracks the driver’s efficiency and progress throughout the day.
The Uber rewards program, launched in 2018, also includes a tier system that unlocks different rewards and incentives for drivers. For example, if a potential rider cancels on the driver deliberately, the driver wouldn’t be charged any cancellation fee. Further, the cancellation fee levied on the next rider will also be transferred to the driver without cutting parts in commission.
This strategic program of Uber is aimed at the retention of the driver base and stabilization of the employee workforce.
Source: dribbble
12. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a talent recruitment application that leverages gamification techniques within a user’s account to calculate their progress. It provides award badges, progress bars, multimedia content, articles, and so much more for increased attention. Users who purchase LinkedIn premium membership get access to a variety of features. Some of them include the following:
- Personalized videos for interactive learning.
- 30 Inmail credits to personally connect to a potential recruiter.
- Content gamification to curate personalized articles, newsletters, and advertisements.
- Access to LinkedIn Campaign Manager to track your engagement rates.
Gamification apps used by industries today
Keeping the fire of interest burning might sound easy, but isn’t. The advent of gamification has relaxed the nerves of marketers and advertisers in terms of perpetuating interest. Brands now understand what consumers want: to be heard and prioritized among large numbers.
How did gamification break through traditional marketing barriers to gain worldwide attention? Let’s understand how through some applications:
Loyalty management
Retailers, travel companies, and restaurants use gamification in loyalty management to safeguard consumers. Customer loyalty programs can take various forms, from point systems to referral programs to voucher redemptions.
Some examples of loyalty management gamification include:
- Punch card: Each time a customer makes a purchase, they receive a punch on their card. After several purchases, they receive free or discounted service.
- Giveaways can be hosted through official social media accounts to entice customers to participate. The winners are chosen on a random note.
- Marketing offers target customers using credit cards from a selected list of banks or private financial platforms.
- Vouchers are issued and invoked based on customer profile, purchase amount, and other attributes to evoke discounted offers.
- Trust Badges differentiate your frequent visitors from seasonal visitors. Even further, you can certify them as genuine customers.
- Leaderboards are a fun way to drive competition amongst your subscribers, where each of them pushes through to reach the top.
- Loyalty points or coins: Some financial platforms double reward with membership access and coins for paying off your credit card bills on time.
- Choose-your-own-adventure plots enable the user to choose images, backgrounds, settings, and peripheral characters to create a brand story.
- The spin-to-win wheel can be digitally integrated for your consumers to try their luck at prizes, coupons, or cash back.
The “reward-seeking” behavior born through loyalty programs can amplify your engagement and nudge prospects toward the proper purchase. It makes customers “curious ” to check whether they’re liable for new rewards, membership perks, vouchers, or free deals.
Our marketing forefathers said you couldn’t have a system to monitor your customer’s sentiments and build permanent trust. But now you do.
2. Employee engagement
Employee engagement can be tricky, but gamifying the process can motivate employees to become more involved. Employee engagement software infuses fun into onboarding, probation, contests, and survey processes. You can provide a badge or milestone to an illustrious employee in a topper’s leaderboard. Also, employee engagement software is pre-set with creative punchlines to trigger a specific employee action.
Sales is an inherently competitive profession, and sales gamification tools capitalize on the competitive nature of sales reps. By creating leaderboards, personalized public notifications, or badges for specific actions, employers can motivate their sales teams to improve efficiency and achieve goals.
Customer advocacy, also known as marketing advocacy or referral marketing, is used for customer referrals, account-based marketing, and putting out the native buzz of your new product lines before you advertise them.
Company HRs widely use microlearning to create events, games, and interactive presentations. Employees can easily amp up their corporate training by integrating small educational modules into their daily workflows. These platforms consist of multimedia content, flashcards, and query management system, to name a few.
Gamification has proven as a successful technique for visitor engagement, relationships, and sales. The main role of gamification is to create brand tokens for your consumers or employees in a game-style way that makes them gravitate toward your service.
And the gaming saga continues
Humans are social creatures, and competition drives them to great heights. Fueling and validating their spirits through gamification can establish you as a trusted name in the market. Happy customers spread good words, and words aren’t mere vessels. Strong word-of-mouth marketing can surpass any paid efforts.
Learn about how mixed reality revolutionizes the world of gamification by blurring the lines between the physical world and computer generated artificial world.
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