Benefits of Gamification includes, but is not limited to more user engagement. Gamification often leads to more sales and revenue when done right. At the least, you will get multiple users using your app/website/brand more than they normally would.
The best part is, Gamification, once implemented almost self-sustains. The user’s previous activities give them a reason to keep continuing even without extra reminders, costs, or campaigns from you.
If you’re here to know the benefits of Gamification, you’re probably new to the whole thing. This is why let’s start with understanding Gamification first.
What is Gamification?
Gamification is attaching game-like elements to any app/task or anything else. These elements can be anything, such as:
- Points
- Badges
- Levels
- Streaks
- Discounts etc.
The Gamification concept is rewarding users for using your app/website or completing tasks.
The most common Gamification example that you probably already have seen and used is the Snapchat streaks. They force you to send at least 1 snap a day and in return your Snap streak increases. If you miss, the entire streak is erased and you’ve to start from 1 again.
Similarly, games like PUBG award users with random skins, coins, and other elements for logging in once in 24 hours and so on.
The fact that Gamification can be applied universally makes it all the more attractive. It has no specific industry or restrictions. It can be applied to almost any brand across any industry. There are benefits to Gamification in education, gaming, retail, social media, and everything else on the planet.
Moreover, you can apply multiple Gamification elements to the same platform. E.g. you can have a VIP level for your restaurant, as well as badges and points!
According to CG’s blog post, the Gamification industry is already valued at $15.4Billion and it could be worth over $48.7Billion by 2029. If that sparked your interest, let’s discuss what are the benefits of Gamification for you.
The Surprising Benefits of Gamification You Need to Know
Gamification can help your brand skyrocket with almost no additional efforts of your own! Users work for your brand using and promoting it in the process. Some primary benefits Gamification provides are:
Increases User-Retention
One of the biggest benefits of Gamification is that users will keep coming back to your app or website. If they do not, they may lose their entire progress over the last few days/weeks or even years.
I launch Snapchat atleast once a day even when I don’t need to, purely to maintain my streak.
Note that it’s not only and always digital. Shopping brands award you “points” for spending $X, restaurants may offer you “guest level X” depending on your visits and spending, and so on.
It’s important that your “reward” (point/badge/level) is very easily achievable. If you overcomplicate it, the process may outweigh the reward and it’ll backfire.
Increases User-Engagement
Gamification also helps increase user engagement. Even if a user comes simply to get the Gamification award (e.g. sending 1 snap or logging in for a second on PUBG), they may actually start chatting or playing the game or using your app in other ways.
One example is the Forest app. It’s a productivity tool that plants virtual trees if you do not touch your phone! Once you start, you’re tempted to not touch your phone a bit longer to plant more trees. This increases engagement for the app.
It also helps increase competition among users. E.g. I wish to have the best Snapstreak among my friends. I also wish to have the most free skins in PUBG. Someone may want to be at a higher user-level on some app or restaurant in their circle or the global leaderboard. More competition equals more engagement from multiple users for your brand.
Setting and achieving goals
One Gamification feature can be literal “progress bars”. The more you complete a task or perform certain actions, the more the bar gets filled. This encourages users to complete tasks more and achieve their goals. Todoist, a productivity tool implemented exactly this and awards badges and points for completing tasks.
The user may reap the benefits of Gamification in learning, business deals, teamwork, or anything else. Hence, Gamification can help make their life better which is a big plus for your app/website or business in general.
You may even punish users (on their Gamified progress) for missing tasks or not performing certain actions which further pushes them to achieve their goals.
Record Keeping
For Gamification to work, your app/website must maintain records. You need to know how many of your gamified tasks have been completed by the user.
This can help your brand keep records of user activities. For E.g. an app like Snapchat (but not Snapchat, due to their encryption) can easily see who has logged in consistently for X no. of days based on their streak. Todoist can do the same based on their leaderboards. Forest app can see who has planted the maximum virtual trees and hence used the app consistently for the highest duration.
This record can then be used for marketing campaigns, loyalty programs, or many other purposes.
Of course, your records must not retain any personal data. As long as you’re collecting app usage stats or public data you should be fine
Making boring things fun
No matter what your app does or what the task is, Gamification adds “fun” to it. This means users are more likely to do whatever the task is. Even boring tasks such as mopping the floor, learning a chapter, or sending cold emails become fun.
This has two benefits, obviously, the task gets “done”. But, the hidden benefit is that users have to come to your website/app/brand to do it. Which results in all the other benefits we’ve discussed earlier.
Conclusion
If you’ve read this far, you probably know what are the benefits of Gamification by now, don’t you? The end goal, or the primary benefit of Gamification is “more use of the app/brand/product” by the end user. Generally, “more usage” is accompanied by more sales and revenue as well.
Do note that Gamification will simply increase your brand’s usage stats. You must combine other marketing strategies to increase your revenue (e.g. Snapchat displays premium subscription popups).
You can also think of Gamification as a loyalty-booster. Something that gives users a reason to return to your product and use it more. Let’s wait a few years and see what other benefits Gamification brings to the table.
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