More and more e-commerce brands are relying on marketing gamification to boost audience engagement and conversion. Integrating game mechanics enables prospects and customers to progress through the purchasing process. From discovery to loyalty, gamified animations maximize interaction and encourage action.
In this guide, we look at the impact of gamification in e-commerce. For each phase of the buying process, we’ll decipher the benefits of integrating interactive mechanics, drawing on examples of brands that have boosted their sales thanks to marketing games.
1. Discovery: attracting attention and traffic through gamification
In the digital age, <a href="https://www.socialshaker.com/blog/2024/09/27/8-idees-de-jeux-dinstants-gagnants-pour-capter-de-nouveaux-prospects/
“>capturing consumers’ attention is a challenge. Brands have to deal with stiff competition and stand out from the advertising messages to which users are exposed on a daily basis.
Gamification enables e-tailers toattract the attention of their audience by offering fun experiences that encourage visitors to interact with their content. This creates an effect of curiosity and immediate engagement (thanks to attractive prizes). In this way, gamified marketing increases brand awareness and qualified traffic.
Adapted gamification mechanisms :
- Prize draw: Encourage users to subscribe to a newsletter or follow a brand in exchange for a chance to win a product.
- Instant win: Offer the chance to win a discount or a gift linked to the brand’s universe to boost branding and encourage interaction.
Case study
Cosmetics brand Yves Rocher set up a “wheel of fortune” on its website. This allowed visitors to win discounts or free products in exchange for subscribing to the newsletter. This initiativeincreased its databaseby 6% in just 30 days.
2. Consideration: Involving consumers and generating interest
Once attention has been captured, visitors’ interest must be maintained by immersing them in the brand’s universe. Marketing games encourage site exploration and product discovery, and reinforce emotional engagement with the company and its products. They collect valuable data for targeting (product recommendation, retargeting, etc.).
The right gamification mechanics
- Interactive Quiz to help consumers identify their ideal product, while gathering insights into their preferences.
- A Puzzle or Memory to showcase your products in an original, interactive way. The visitor discovers the characteristics of an item, with the key to targeted discounts.
Case study
The ASOS online store offers shopping quests where users can “unlock” benefits by performing certain actions, such as exploring new collections, writing reviews or sharing on social networks. This strategy helped increase the number of active customers by 2%, from 25.3 million to 25.7 million in one year.
The Bien Manger brand relied on the Quiz to collect precise data on its visitors’ cooking habits and improve its catalog coverage.
3. Acquisition: turn interest into purchase with interactive animations
The conversion stage is the most critical for brands. The challenge is to transform a visitor who has shown interest into an active customer. Gamification enables us to offer incentives to purchase by reducing the psychological barriers to conversion. Marketing games can be used to distribute time-limited incentives (in the form of discount coupons).
The right gamification mechanics
- Online scratching to invite visitors to try their luck at winning an instant promo code.
- The Wheel of Chance to distribute discounts after users have added an item to their basket.
Case study
Clothes e-commerce site Zalando integrated an online scratch card game that allowed customers to win discounts on their purchases. This fun initiative helped increase conversion rates and boost sales.
4. Engagement : Increase the average basket and reduce basket abandonment
Post-purchase engagement is crucial. It helps to reduce shopping cart abandonment rates, which are one of the main reasons why e-tailers lose revenue. It’s also an effective strategy for encouraging up- or cross-selling, by sharing incentives to add products to the cart.
The right gamification mechanics
- The challenge: either offer a reward (discount, free shipping, gift in the parcel) if the basket reaches a certain amount.
- A gamified countdown: propose a time-limited offer in the form of an interactive countdown.
Case study
Clothing brand H&M set up a shopping challenge on its e-commerce site. The brand’s customers received a discount when their shopping basket reached a certain point. This strategy encouraged customers to increase their average basket and complete their purchases quickly.
5. Loyalty: E-commerce gamification to turn customers into ambassadors
Let’s not forget the last stage of the buying journey: retention. Retaining customers costs less than converting new ones. A good gamification strategy in e-commerce should include mechanisms to reward repeat purchases or encourage any other post-purchase action (leaving a review, recommending the brand, etc.).
The right gamification mechanics
- The gamified loyalty program: accumulating points (via each interaction with the brand: purchase, customer review, etc.) that can be transformed into exclusive rewards;
- The Advent Calendar allows you to create an appointment with your audience, encouraging them to spend time with the brand. But also to buy from them over a given period (such as the month of December).
Case study
The Starbucks coffee chain has developed a gamified loyalty program in which customers earn stars with every purchase. These can be exchanged for free drinks or exclusive products.
The Bien Manger brand boosted customer engagement and loyalty with an Advent Calendar. This fun format, adapted to the festive season, offered the chance to win rewards during the month of December. A way of attracting qualified traffic to its online store and encouraging repeat purchases.
Gamification is a powerful lever for capturing attention and engaging your target audience. It’s an excellent strategy for optimizing every stage of your e-commerce buying journey. By exploiting our gamification mechanics, you can create a captivating shopping experience and strengthen your acquisition and loyalty!
