Can Gamification really boost customer involvement and promote loyalty?

Can Gamification really boost customer involvement and promote loyalty?

The introduction of web-deployed gamification has been a real 'game changer', if you'll pardon the pun. Some businesses have literally went from being virtually unknown to generating thousands of hits nearly overnight, thanks to gamification deployed via social media. For example, there are hundreds of success stories from organizations that have successfully captured audiences on Facebook via gamification. The real question is why does gamification receive so much acclaim in the first place? Are people winning cash or prizes through gamification? Well sometimes, but not usually. What is it about gamification that makes it so engaging? One could argue that it is the public's love of games that drives the gamification trend (given that a majority of web users were most likely raised on video games). But this is only partially true; gamification actually provides customers with psychological incentives. For most people, it is only natural to seek out fun activities in lieu of performing arduous tasks, gamification takes this obvious truth and then adds incentives which not only keeps customers coming back for more, but also provides incentive(s) to so. These incentives might include rebates, coupons, special access programs, membership groups or simply awards, tokens or achievements.

From an outward perspective; any organization that actually has its own apps and/or gamification elements emblazoned with their brand name, logos or other promotional devices is sending a message to consumers. They are providing you with subtle hints that their brand is worth investing in, or perhaps they are demonstrating the level of quality that you might come to expect from them. At the end of the day, an organization that cannot demonstrate prowess in the gamification arena is sending a message to consumers that they are either not serious enough or don't have the inherent skills / creativity to get the job done well enough to hold your interest. By and large, the average consumer wants to be 'embraced' if you will, they want some indication from you (the seller) that you're capable of servicing their interests, desires and requirements. The most successful businesses of the 20^th century (in the US and elsewhere) grew their image and reputation to a level where the average citizen often came to view them as 'neighbors', 'friends', or 'trusted confidants'. Those organizations that were (are) able to take those feelings of loyalty and capitalize on them deserve any bit of success they achieve, as long as they continue to deliver worthwhile products and/or services.

Certainly gamification increases customer involvement and generates buzz, but exactly how is this achieved and why is it so successful? It's really about creating an interesting game concept and then applying it to a situation. Users aren't interested in anything aside from their own enjoyment, if you are able to create a gaming concept that appealing on numerous fronts (action, visuals, controls, rewards, gameplay, and addictiveness for example), then you will likely achieve success through gamification. This is nearly impossible to pinpoint because it's a function of creativity and skill. Another area with similar challenges might be songwriting; designing a hit game is a bit like trying to write a hit song. However, the potential for creative design and exploration are literally wide open with regards to gamification; if someone has a great idea, it can be implemented rather inexpensively and in turn reach an enormous audience. The benefit here is that online marketing is essentially free when compared with print, paper and billboard (and it has the potential to reach a much larger audience as well). Gamification deployed through social media is a force to be reckoned with, and when properly used, it can literally transform a business into a powerhouse almost overnight (this does however require a certain level of ingenuity to pull off).

There are many claiming that gamification is the (future) face of customer preservation. With the popularity of games and gamification elements skyrocketing, it's not hard to see why someone might say such things. However, as serious business professionals we must step back and analyze things and refrain from acting too impulsively. The best course of action is to devise a plan/schedule that will allow your organization to release a well-thought out and feature laden gamification object in tandem with product releases, for example. In other words, the same rules that applied to product release and marketing, also applies to gamification. A nightmare scenario for gamification proponents would be seeing the release of thousands of low quality apps and games in quick succession. This would flood the market with useless software, which would not only hide the quality apps from genuinely interested users / visitors, but also seriously denigrate the reputation of gamification as well.

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