Gamification is the application of game mechanics to online shopping (Barnaart, 2017). Companies are utilising this tool to keep their audiences engaged. “Facebook, Twitter and EBay incorporate game elements to increase customer engagement “(Insley and Nunan, 2013, p.340). If customers are more engaged with the organisation, they are more likely to purchase a product. Gamification is utilised via smartphones, as 4 out of 5 smartphone owners prefer mobile shopping over in person or desktop shopping (Barnaart,2017), making use of gamification will increase audience engagement. There has already been research into this that states that the “enthusiasm over gamification amongst marketers has been driven by the observation that games engage people” (Insley and Nunan, 2013, p.341). It is a venture that organisations should be utilising. Companies that have had positive feedback from gamification include fashion retailers ASOS, Misguided and Jack Wills who use interactive games at Christmas for customers to win prizes (Insley and Nunan, 2013, p.433). Organisations are seeing a positive outcome of using games to market products as they “play a big part in promoting and selling products” (N/A, 2015, p.10).
“Gamification in Retail”
‘Asos Gamification’
To bring the game into the market, the organisation needs to look at their current target market and determine what they currently enjoy. The game will be aimed at the millennial generation as they prefer accessing apps via phones (Barnaart,2017). To understand what people already enjoy, it’s important to see what fellow competitors have already done. Games that often do well include social sharing, scoring and rewards (Daisyme, 2017). These aspects should be incorporated into the game. Speaking to top gaming operators such as GAME will give the organisation an idea of what aspects to include in the app to ensure success. It is important to establish incentives for players, as this could drive more people to play the game. To encourage this, influencers can be used as a form of advertisement. They have the ability to influence purchases due to their power, popularity, authority and position in society (Michaels, 2018). It can be tested with micro- influencers as celebrity influencers are expensive. They have less reach but more engaged audiences (6% compared to 1.6% for celebrities) (Barker,2018).
The aim of the game is to achieve excellent customer service in a department store. Each player creates an avatar and makes their way through the departments. When excellent customer service has been achieved and the final level is reached, players help celebrity Kit Harington (Game of Thrones Star) prep for the upcoming BAFTA awards. Kit Harington is active on social media and in the 21st century “social media influencers represent a new type of independent third party who shape audience attitudes” (Freberg, Graham, McCaughey and Freberg, 2011, p.90). It is important to keep up with trends, it encourages engagement for new and current audiences. The game is linked to the store’s loyalty card. As the game is completed, loyalty card holders will receive a personalised gift, non-members will receive a gift but it will be random. By incorporating the loyalty card incentive, it will encourage the audience to sign up and reap the rewards.
It is import to understand the risks of bringing out a game, many aspects have to be taken into consideration such as ethics. Seligner et al (2015) states that gamification is fundamentally in tension with human flourishing or good character (Kim and Werback, 2016, p.161). This aspect is important as it stresses the risk of human development due to gaming. When creating the game, the avatar needs to be taken into consideration as it promotes gender stereotypes, an issue that could influence the games success. It is priced at £1.99 for the trial month, then a fixed price of £2.99. It is always a risk putting a price on a game as it assumes consumers will buy the app. To avoid risk, the organisation should trial the game and gain feedback from staff and customers to see what price would be appropriate.
Gamification was the chosen because it boosts engagement (Insley and Nunan, 2014, p,341). Games encourage younger generations to engage with a product or service (Daisyme, 2017). Therefore, the game should influence a younger audience. It also keeps up with current trends as 25% of overall app usage is spent on retail apps (Newman, Wachter and White, 2018, p.211). Having a quarter of consumers already online will help with advertisement.
For the game to reach its full potential, changes such as incentives at each level will motivate players and justify them spending £2.99. Player should be able to pick what department they want to start off in to avoid discrimination, this ensures ethical factors are valued. Finally, to gain full attention from the audience, more celebrity involvement needs to be made apparent. This will lead to increased engagement and a boost in sales.
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