Mobile apps are an integral part of consumers’ everyday lives. Yet at a time when, on average, only 8% of customers return to an app on the 30th day after they first open it, and (57%) use an app just once or twice before deciding whether to delete it, it has become increasingly challenging for brands to retain app customers and grow their value.

Gamification, the integration of game design elements into non-game contexts, is an effective method to motivate consumers to stay engaged and has rapidly become the go-to solution for brands. Indeed, consumers’ reliance on mobile devices and their involvement in social media have altered their interactions with brands and content. Typically, the interactions consumers’ now have with brands are short and transactional, referred to as ‘content snacking’. This trend aligns well with the excitement and challenge associated with games. Mobile apps, whether driven by subscriptions, ad revenue, or commerce, can be turned into great playing fields and can benefit from it in different ways.

By adopting this strategy, marketers can not only increase user engagement and foster loyalty but also encourage users to adopt certain behaviours of high value for the brands, for instance to collect first party data, at a time when third party data is scarce.

But gamification is far from being a one-shot trick. Whilst gamification is a powerful tool, when it comes to increasing user engagement and fostering loyalty, it must be approached by brands strategically for lasting success. Here is what to consider for a successful strategy:

1. Be clear on your end-goal!

Prior to implementing gamification within an app, strategic goals must be clearly defined, whether that is to increase engagement, improve customer retention or encourage specific behaviours.

Once this is agreed on, there are various tactics that brands can adopt to achieve short or long-term objectives. Whilst points-based loyalty programs are the most familiar form of gamification, marketers can also turn to individual, reciprocal, and relational tactics.

2. The different tactics for effective gamification

Individual gamification approaches are primarily focused on the app user and their usage patterns. With this strategy, a reward or incentive does not always need to be included. Simply noting a customer’s progress, for example, can be enough to create a pleasant experience and give them a sense of accomplishment.

When applying individual tactics to retailing apps for example, interactive product recommendations such as quizzes, can gamify product selection and preference settings. Through creating and implementing permanent product features, longer term loyalty from customers can be encouraged.

Reciprocal tactics involve requesting actions in exchange for rewards, including strategies that request an action in exchange for something else.  For instance, John Lewis uses this strategy by encouraging users to create new Wishlists every month for a chance to win items on their list. This results in more regular and longer browsing times.

When utilising reciprocal tactics to achieve long-term loyalty, the same give-get dynamic must be used but maintained through clear reward structures. This can be done thanks to loyalty programmes that include a level progression, (for instance, from silver to gold to platinum), providing more points and value per points, resulting in more exclusive rewards with each progression.

Finally, relational tactics encourage customers to share brand content on behalf of the brand. This can be done by hashtag sharing but also through user generated content. When applying relational tactics to foster long-term loyalty, communication and reward structures can be used to engage customers with each other. This can include referral programmes, adopted by Revolut, for instance, as well as encouraging content sharing across social media.

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3. Choosing the right tactics 

Many marketers opt to combine and mix these gamification strategies to gain short and long-term benefits. However, with the increasing shift in how consumers interact with brands, it is essential to determine how each tactic will tie into an organisation’s targeted business outcomes, as well as considering the benefits that it will provide to customers.

When adopting gamification methods and tactics, marketers must consider not only their app’s monetisation strategy but also the brand values, and value proposition. For instance, commerce apps may find that linking purchases to rewards can be most effective, whilst subscription-based apps may find it useful to leverage streaks and progress bars to drive repeat visits.

Tying rewards and prizes to a brand’s app value proposition should not be regarded as a desperate bid to capture a customer’s attention, but rather as a means to maintaining relevance and adding value. Therefore, when deciding on strategies and tactics, it is essential to use gamification to add an element of fun to what the customers want to do, rather than focusing solely on the organisations’ targeted outcome.

The future of gamification

The success and future of gamification lies in brands understanding their consumers’ behaviours and preferences to create a more meaningful app experience. Brands can leverage gamification strategically, aligning the value proposition and customer benefits.

By selecting the correct tactics and aligning them with the app’s monetisation model and brand values, marketers can prioritise customer benefits and explore emerging opportunities.

When implemented thoughtfully, gamification can elevate the customer experience, and create lasting connections between brands and their app users.

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