With billions of online shoppers buying goods and services across the globe, having a foothold in eCommerce is necessary for a new business to succeed. However, companies need to seek creative ways to grab an e-shopper’s attention with abundant choices. Sometimes having a decent product or service isn’t enough.
Luckily, with new advances in technology, there are innovative ways a company can grab and retain a consumer’s attention.
One of these techniques is gamification in eCommerce. Gamification is the process of utilizing game-like techniques in a non-game context. Using gamification, a company can creatively engage with its audience and keep them engaged.
Elements of a Successful Gamified Shopping Strategy
Gamification elements can enhance a customer’s journey. Whether through offering rewards, receiving a discount code when they make purchases, or completing a series of challenges, adding gamification features can retain current customers and attract new ones. A successful gamified shopping experience usually includes:
- Having a clear goal: You’ll want a clear goal, such as reducing cart abandonment, streamlining the purchase-decision operation, or prompting more app downloads. Whatever your goal is, you’ll need to present it meaningfully. Often you can present your goal as a problem or challenge a potential buyer has to “solve", like CataBoom's campaign partnership with Shoe Carnival.
- Rules for playing: Rules make a game fun and exciting to play. While you don’t want to make your gamified shopping difficult, having set guidelines and limitations will, at the very least, present a feeling of initial difficulty and intrigue for your shoppers.
- A feedback system: A successful feedback system will inform a player how close they are to reaching their next goal and keeping them on track. This may come in the form of obtaining badges, points, level-ups, a championship board, etc.
Gamification for Websites
Although gamification is often associated with apps, business owners can also use gamification for websites. Some strategies a business owner can implement include:
- Making the checkout process more visual, easier to use, and interactive.
- Having a point system for members that translates into being able to exchange their digital credits for discounts or gifts.
- Offering referral awards for inviting new shoppers to their website/store.
- Creative challenges like having an easter egg hunt with clues on your website.
- Having giveaways or competitions that result in free merchandise or discounts. You can also incorporate your website’s giveaway/competition with social media.
How e-Commerce Businesses Benefit from Gamification
There are multiple ways that an eCommerce business can benefit from gamification. These include increasing engagement with current customers and prospective new buyers.
- It gives your customers control. People—especially consumers—love to feel like they’re in charge. Instead of bombarding customers with dozens of emails, they can receive a notification that they qualify for a discount if they complete a challenge or level up their avatar.
- It gives you a sense of achievement. Games allow us to experience a sense of achievement. While you’re not truly slaying dragons or saving a princess from a spikey turtle, you get the sense you are. With gamification in eCommerce, completing certain milestones provides positive reinforcement, and your success can translate into real discounts and complimentary gifts.
- It sets your business apart. The truth is very few eCommerce businesses offer a product or service that’s truly unique. With so much competition, even overall quality can only go so far. That’s why having a marketing campaign that incorporates gamification can set you apart.
- It attracts new customers. By having a sense of challenge and rivalry in your gamified shopping—such as completion awards, leadership boards, badges, etc.—your current customer base is more prone to tell their friends or share their progress on social media. You can also incorporate referral awards or awards for sharing your app or website.
Get Started With Your Own Gamified Shopping
Gamification in eCommerce can be a great way for an online business to attract new customers and pique their interest. Using CataBoom’s gamification software, you can make this process easier. See what gamification can do for your eCommerce site by scheduling a demo today. Contact us today!
.svg)