Essay On Gamification

More often than not, our efforts to engage with consumers falls on deaf ears. What we as marketers consider fun and engaging, consumers often dismiss as dull, tedious and irrelevant.

The world around us is changing: we are now fighting for hearts and minds, not just wallets. We don’t want people to just consume our product, but to authentically fall in love with our brand. That is why gamification is rapidly gaining popularity.

Gamification is an application of game mechanics and game design techniques of traditional gaming environments. It is an excellent way to engage and motivate people to complete tasks and achieve goals by tapping into our basic desires, needs and impulses. By turning mundane tasks into a fun experiences, gamification

Done right, in-store gamification can become addictive, enhancing the customer experience, encouraging return visits and building long-term loyalty.

Why so serious? Gamification is conquering the world of retail

An example of in-store gamification that gets consumers moving can be found at the shoe retailer Stride Rite. An in-store game has children copy dance moves on a screen while wearing new shoes. At the end of the dance game, children can share their dancing scores on social media, and probably convince their parents to buy the shoes.

Similarly, a Toys ‘r Us in Hong Kong lets kids and parents play an in-store game, scanning a QR code at each level of the store.

These efforts strike a chord with consumers, who can’t be enticed anymore by traditional marketing and consumer loyalty programs. For one, consumers are finding that traditional loyalty programs aren’t what they expected. A study revealed that 54% of consumers stopped using a loyalty program within a year, citing a difficulty in obtaining reward points. They don’t feel that the program is made with them in mind, and feel penalized for not spending enough money to earn those points, ultimately quitting such