As Gartner reported earlier this year, Gamification, the idea of turning simple, every-day tasks into a game is an emerging trend and becoming the next big thing. In many ways it certainly has. Foursquare continues to expand into a global market, offering badges and special offers for visiting locations and we’re seeing many unique, innovative ideas through websites such as The Fun Theory.
I’m sure someone has already coined the term g-commerce – but the idea of apply gamification to e-commerce isn’t new. Let’s take a look at some examples:
Examples of gamification in e-commerce
MadBid.com – In a way, it’s kind of like gambling – the idea, is genius. Users simply buy credits at a low price each, which earns them the ability to bid on a product. You can get an iPhone, for example at just £5 ($8) – the trick they employ though, is every time you bid it increases the auction time by a few seconds or even minutes. With many people using the website, this can run for days and they end up making more money than the product is worth, despite the item only going for a minimal amount.
SneakPeeq - Another way of turning shopping social and into a game. You get limited “Peeqs” every day. “Peeqing” is basically where you click a button to view the price of a product, but you only have 10 seconds to commit to a purchase before it is hidden again. The trick is, is that the more people that “peeq” at the product price, the lower the price becomes. I tried it with a bag on there, it was 25% off based on 288 people having a “peeq” at it.
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved is a game for the Xbox Kinect. Basically, it encourages you to train and progress your fitness levels by linking in with your on-line account, where you can challenge friends and family, or work harder to earn discounts on new training programmes.
How can you apply gamification?
This is a tough one to answer without knowing your audience, but we can look at the examples above and learn what has made their success.
1. Limited times to make a decision will give the user less time to think about a product purchase or research an alternative. As a result, they are more likely to make an impulse purchase.
2. Social engagement with other users is important. Linking in with a user’s Facebook profile can instantly link your platform with the most popular social network in the world. Encouraging competition among the user’s friends is a great way to engage the user with your products more.
3. If you manufacture your own products, consider ways to link them with an on-line, social platform where the user can acquire points and compete against friends.
Finally, think about how you can apply gamification to your business. Perhaps you have a loyalty scheme and could offer flash based games to users, allowing them to boost their points? I’d be interested in hearing what ideas you have.