A Beginner’s Guide to Ecommerce Gamification

Thinking of ways to make the shopping experience more interesting for your customers? Gamification could be your solution. Ecommerce gamification has the potential to keep people on your site for longer, making them more likely to convert into sales.

So, what is gamification and how can it help your ecommerce site?

What is gamification?

Simply put, gamification is the process of adding games or interactive entertainment to your website to entice people to visit and stay longer. There are many different types of games that can be added that make sense for your business. One of the main uses of gamification is to gain customer loyalty. It’s a great way to get people to return to the website time and time again.

Even big brands are using gamification to create an entertaining shopping experience for their customers. Coca-Cola won the award for ‘Best Use of Gamification’ in 2014, for instance, and gamification technology continues to play a huge role in branding. With more customers using their mobiles to shop, gamification is becoming part and parcel of the ecommerce experience.

Types of ecommerce gamification

There are tons of gamification options available for ecommerce business owners. It’s important to choose an option that best suits the type of business you’re running. Here are a few examples.

Daily bonus points

The aim of daily bonus points is to keep customers returning on a regular basis. These kinds of games can keep your customers on their toes. For example, they may collect a bonus on one occasion and return in the hope of finding more. The point of collecting these daily points is to spend them on other games.

Mystery wheel

The mystery wheel is a game where the daily points can be spent. Each spin can either lose points or gain additional points. Once a customer has reached a certain amount of points, they’re entitled to a voucher code or discount on products.

Badges

Badges are used by many different businesses because they make customers feel valued and appreciated. Customers can collect badges for several different reasons. A badge may be appointed for leaving a review of product or becoming a website member, for example.

Advantages of gamification

So, now that you know what gamification is all about, why should you use it in your business? Over the years, gamification has been proven to intrigue and motivate customers and businesses have seen higher sales from it. Here are just a few of the advantages to ecommerce gamification…

Data collection

It’s more important than ever to connect with your customers in order to encourage loyalty. And the better you know your customers, the easier they are to reach. Gamification allows you to collect valuable data about your customers. For instance, what type of gaming grabs their attention, how long they spend taking part, what motivates them to browse and buy products. The more information you have, the easier it will be to target your audience.

Customer rewards

Every customer wants to feel valued and a reward system is a great way to achieve that. Whether you’re using points, badges or another form of reward, gamification can give that satisfaction to your customers. A satisfied customer will always return and will always spread the word about your business.

Involvement

Ecommerce gamification allows customers to feel more involved with the business. It’s akin to the feeling of being a fan-girl or fan-boy. Customers become more excited and get a bigger thrill out of shopping on your website when gamification is present. They get to use points, view their profiles and spend more time than they ordinarily would on a site without gamification.

Brand loyalty

If your competition isn’t using gamification but you are, you’re ahead of the game. Gamification is an excellent way to encourage brand loyalty. When a customer feels involved in the business, they aren’t likely to go elsewhere. It can feel like a betrayal when they’re so invested in another business. Gaining brand loyalty through gamification is often easier than any other method and it could save you money on sending out promotions via email or post.

There’s no loss

When we talk about customers being able to exchange points for discounts, it can seem like the business is likely to lose money. This isn’t the case. Many points systems operate just like loyalty schemes. Customers have to purchase items in order to be awarded points. The money a customer spends often far exceeds the points used to apply a discount.

As an example, some businesses allow customers to use their point discounts on large items, like TVs. However, customers would have had to purchase multiple smaller items over a long period of time to have built up enough points.

Increased sales

Arguably the most important reason to implement gamification is increased sales. For some customers, the thrill will be enough. They might be motivated into buying products just to see their points increase. Customers will also be aware of the promise that they can exchange their points for discounts at a later date.

These are both excellent incentives for sales. Even if a customer has no points, the business can choose to give them points in an attempt to motivate them to use their points towards a bigger purchase.

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