Wait, What..? Gamification in eCommerce? Yes, it’s a sure win!
Gamification – or the use of the principles and mechanics of
gaming in non-gaming contexts – is all around us. It appeals to our desire as
human beings to establish rules, create winners and losers, and compete and
collaborate. It gives us levels to achieve, quests to complete, points to
garner, and rewards to win. But, is there a real opportunity for ecommerce application? We say yes!
Let's take a look at how gamification is implemented to help
boost ecommerce sales:
Create Your Own Reward
Simplistic but true, research has shown that the key to gamification
success starts by defining the end goal. In an ecommerce context this means identifying
what the business objective is, and why it will benefit the store.
For example, according to Shopify, there is strong evidence
suggesting that customer-written product reviews are a great way to increase
conversion rates. So placing gaming tactics, such as awarding recognition for
writing a certain number of reviews, might help achieve the objective of
getting more recommendations. This, in turn, may improve conversion rates and
boost the bottom line.
Amazon.com has a basic gamification strategy that encourages
reviews: customer-content can be rated as "helpful." This means a
dedicated reviewer is rewarded by receiving recognition from other potential
buyers. Who doesn't want to be recognized for being helpful?
Raise the Stakes
Ebay was an early adopter of gamification. Rather than a
straightforward purchase, customers are encouraged to bid on an item. Text
alerts tell you when someone else has bid more than you and the temptation is
to rush back to the site to either buy outright or up the game stakes. Messages
inform potential buyers that other people are watching the same item, appealing
to the urge to be first.
Shopify is one of many ecommerce sites that offer a
countdown app to focus customers on special deals, sales, new releases and
more. It counts up or down, in numbers or time, but the end result is a sense
of urgency; a sense that time is running out to get this item.
Both eBay and Shopify are targeting to our desire to get a
good deal. And surely it must be a good deal if others want the same product or
if it's only available for a short period.
Dole Out the Prizes
A basic component of any game is the desire to win and be
rewarded. The Starbuck's loyalty app bundles pre-order and pre-pay capabilities
with free music and reward levels based on the number of stars "won"
by making purchases.
Given a choice of coffee at the local café or earning stars and
maybe achieving the next level at Starbucks, combined with the convenience of
placing and paying for your order right on a smartphone, consumers appear to be
voting with their taps. Compared to the thrills of playing the game, the reward
of a free coffee is probably incidental.
With web developers creating great new apps and web
applications every day, there are a seemingly limitless number of ways to
introduce gamification into your ecommerce store. The trick is to decide what
behaviour you want to influence and what gaming tactic you’ll use to condition
it.