Who doesn’t like to play games?

The days when games were considered specifically for children are long gone.  

Today, the gamification market has a growth forecast of more than 20%. The current pandemic boosted this growth, thanks to one of the greatest attributes of this technique, the percentage of participation that can be achieved with their designs and mechanisms through digital platforms. 

Studies have proven its ability to attract and retain users by activating their dopamine or hormone of well-being. Do you want to know more?

The basis of gamification is the adoption of techniques, designs, elements, or mechanisms typical of games, in non-game environments.  

Some of the components that organizations have incorporated into their websites, applications, online communities, and even digital ads, are: 

• Points
• Levels
• Leaderboards
• Badges
• and Rewards 

Companies using gamification  

“Gamification has been used in marketing for decades, before the term was invented. For example, I have fond memories of my mother collecting Blue Chip stamps with every purchase at the supermarket so we could win prizes” (David Mullich, game designer and producer). 

eBay 

Bidding on an item, requesting star ratings from your buyers, improving the percentage you get as a seller, these three eBay features have been among the first gamification integrations in the e-commerce sector. 

LinkedIn 

The progress bar that is displayed on the social network when you create a profile is a gamification feature. When you’re in your profile, you can see your “profile strength,” which prompts users to take the necessary steps to 100% completion. 

Dunkin’ Donut 

The multinational coffee chain, Dunkin’ Donut released a game called “On Your Mark”, which simulates a virtual store, with stations for flavor, sweetener, milk and infusion, with a virtual customer’s order.  

On Your Mark begins by asking the player to enter their favorite Dunkin’ Donuts drink to be prepared in the virtual drive-thru. 

The player is then responsible for correctly filling the assigned order. Orders get bigger and cups move faster as players reach higher levels in the game. Ten players a day have a chance to each win $10 Dunkin’ gift cards. 

“The entire gaming platform was designed with research in mind; there is a strong data collection component that is part of our platform. We’re trying to figure out what people’s beverage preferences are; that’s the starting point for understanding what we can do with those preferences” (Brad Crowell, PartingGift founder and CEO).  

The incorporation of gamification into market research is relatively new, but the trend continues to grow. In 2020 GRIT reported that 53% of research professionals claim to be using or considering incorporating gamification into their online studies.  

And why not include gamification elements in your online research, if by including game design elements, respondents receive motivation and incentives they need to continue participating, as well as breaking the monotony of traditional questions.  

The effect of this can impact market research by increasing the quality and quantity of data, as well as the frequency and duration of participation.

Understanding this trend will help you better leverage the psychological momentum behind the dynamics of a game.