Firstly, the word gamification may evoke thoughts of Xbox or Playstation marathons, but according to the Cambridge English dictionary it is actually “the practice of making activities more like games in order to make them more interesting or enjoyable”. In other words, gamification is the game that increases sales.
Are you game?
The idea is not necessarily to offer a game as such, but rather to give the interaction with the user/client a game-like feeling. One example is the expanding application of loyalty or reward programs. Another familiar one is eBay with its bidding system.
Therefore, it is not surprising that for a long time the concept of gamification has been spreading in the business world in various industries with the goal of creating more engagement and generating more sales.
An industry on the rise
Nowadays they try to sell us stuff constantly, on the street, on the subway, with remarketing every time you Google something, and then it seems you are being spied on when they offer the same product on every website you visit. However, not every purchase is quick, easy, or impulsive. What is more, the buyer is more and more informed and cautious especially during a global pandemic.
Still, there is one thing that we do not get tired of doing and that is playing. Call it having fun, chilling, or unwinding. Games are always in and more and more companies are jumping on the gamification bandwagon. In fact, “The global gamification market was valued at USD 10.19 million in 2020 and expected to reach USD 38.42 million by 2026” and in this period a CAGR of 25.10% is forecasted.
Engage, engage, engage
In both marketing and sales, one of the main objectives is for the customer to interact and remain longer on our channels – in our physical store, website, social media, etc. According to Gartner, “gamification motivates a target audience to higher and more meaningful levels of engagement. Humans are ‘hard-wired’ to enjoy games and have a natural tendency to interact more deeply in activities that are framed in a game construct.”
Hence, several businesses claim to have increased user engagement and web traffic after incorporating gamification elements.
Get your sales up
As if this were not enough, the data indicates that gamification increases not only customer interaction with the brand but also sales. This happens both with tech companies such as Autodesk that experienced a 40% increase in trials and 15% – in conversions, and with physical businesses such as KFC Japan that saw a 106% increase in store sales after partnering with Gamify. These are just a few examples that prove gamification or playing while shopping increases sales.
The interior design game
RoomBox directly combines the game of building and furnishing your home (or any space for that matter) with the sale of furniture. Users can have fun as interior designers without the need to buy. However, each object added to the game scene is automatically added to the shopping cart as well. The feel of the classic Sims game in RoomBox makes for a fun experience that at the end of the day also brings more sales. After all, gamification is the “game” that increases sales.
