by Emily Goldspink

Gamification is a growing aspect of business marketing, being adopted by almost every company, brand, mobile application or website. The idea involves adding game dynamics into company websites or shopping experiences. For example, a company can provide consumers the opportunity to collect points and badges or compare stats in leader boards against other users. The current generation who were raised on video and mobile games are somewhat reliant on gamification to stay engaged, intrigued or even loyal to certain companies.

This new coined term, Gamification, enables consumers to participate and actively engage with the companies in a game-like setting. These dynamics are currently being utilized on social media networks, such as LinkedIn, internships.com, and Tumblr. Even PreApps.com has adapted to Gamification. PreApps, the leading pre app discovery platform, has recently launched their new gamification layout which rewards users for discovering the hottest new apps.

These companies attempt to tap into our innate desire to act on and compete with others for what we want. For example, social media networks use progress levels to encourage others to maximize their profile and create more for a better experience. Recyclebank uses Gamification to motivate people to discard their plastic bottles and cans separately from trash that is no good. What we want is a better environment, and we have realized thanks to Gamification that recycling is how we can get it. In fact, according to Gartner, by 2015 over 50 percent of organizations will be using gamification to engage employees.

For example, consider Foursquare, a company built almost completely on a game dynamic business model. Each user can earn badges for “checking in” at places. As a bonus, they’re alerted to money-saving deals nearby. Eight million people have downloaded the Foursquare app, and use it to check in. Now, Facebook has also adopted this approach to reinforce engagement in users and increase buzz for each place.

Gamification strategies benefit consumers by allowing them to play hypothetical games that has never been available before. In terms of the popularity of mobile OS applications, app developers are also receiving an advantage to this turning point by gaining revenue. Fruit Ninja makes $400,000 per month in ad revenue because of the extent it is being played. Gamification has become the primary incentive to get people to play games and participate in activities. For example, the new iPhone app, Summer Slots Casino gives you free spins for every 30 spins you use. Other games guarantee prizes and new challenges at higher levels, which encourages you to play the game in order to reach those levels – something that the standard board game could not provide.

What is most astonishing about the popularity of games is how other brands and organizations are applying game-design thinking to non-game applications to make them more enjoyable. It has been predicted that by 2015, more than half of worldwide organizations will be using gamification as their primary strategy to engage employees.

Companies are redefining marketing strategies with the end user in mind. What motivates, engages or influences them is now the core of most business models.

This article was originally published on the PreApps blog and it has been syndicated with their permission.



Photo Credits

PreApps | Nelleke Porthuis