The days when gaming was the reserve of teenage boys are gone. Now it’s very grown up and valuable industry. Gabriella Griffith finds out why this is relevant to ecommerce businesses like yours.
By Gabriella Griffith
According to research by the Entertainment Software Association, the average age of gamers is now 30. To further destroy any stereotypes one may have been harbouring, according to Saatchi & Saatchi, 46% of tablet gamers are women. Gaming has entered the mass market.
“Gamification” is the application of game theory, concepts and techniques to non-gaming contexts. To make them more entertaining and appealing. The phrase gained such traction in 2011 it was shortlisted for the Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year.
One of the trends that started to emerge in 2012 was the expansion of gamification from its traditional sectors of fitness and media, to verticals like education and importantly for us, eCommerce. Some are even bandying the phrase “gCommerce” around – that’s the gamification of eCommerce to you and I.
Behemoth brands like DKNY and Nike have been engaging consumers through game mechanics for a number of years now.
At the end of 2011, Nike launched a campaign called “Winter’s Angry”. Players of the game helped to keep featured athletes warm whilst training and competing. In one game, players tested their reflexes to win prizes.
Those with the highest points between certain dates were eligible to win a trip away. The game promoted Nike’s winter collection as well as brand awareness and engagement.
So what do eCommerce sites have to gain from jumping on the gamification bandwagon?
For a start, it encourages greater engagement with your brand. Consumers will spend more time on your site. This in turn fosters greater loyalty and ultimately will increase revenue.
By providing an extra activity on the site, you are enriching your customer’s experience, they feel invested, making them even more likely to come back, play again (and purchase again).
What are the possible gaming mechanics to add to a site?
To put it very plainly, there are a number of key phrases involved with gamification. These are points, status, levels, achievements, badges and leader-boards. The addition of any of these concepts to the user’s retail experience can appeal to our playful and competitive natures.
There are a number of different companies which offer gamification services to sites.
White label gamification provider Badgeville raised $2.5m funding back in November to bring its services to a global audience. The US-based start-up offers widgets and APIs to online retailer wished to add elements such as badges and leader-boards to their sites.
Many existing providers of social media plug-ins such as Gigya, which plumbs sites into social networks, offer gamification elements now as well.
There are a number of dos and don’ts however when it comes to adding these elements to the user experience.
Do think about your customers needs and your goals
It would be foolish to think that the same gamification element will suit all audiences. Companies should think about their goals and their customer and find a suitable mechanic to match.
“There are a number of risks attached to gamification if the games are not produced professionally or applied correctly,” says Sam Fuller, managing director and UK head of leisure at international investment bank Altium.
“You could end up cheapening the brand, annoying your customer or providing them with a negative feeling if they end up losing or not enjoying the game.”
Click here for part two in this series
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