Ways Gamification Influences Customer Behavior

Does it feel like your entire life has been turned into a game? This is not some kind of accident. Companies have been using a tactic known as gamification, which turns non-traditional products and services and gives them a computer game-like feel. Gamification is all about altering buyer behavior and increasing participation. In this article, we will look at the ways gamification shifts customer behavior.

Opportunity to Achieve Mastery

Gamification gives customers the ability to progress and achieve mastery. When customers play a game, improve their skills, and win, they feel deep satisfaction. Customers get caught in a positive feedback loop where the more they play, the happier they feel. It can easily get to the point where a customer spends hours every day playing a game. This type of customer is likely to be a highly valued customer who will purchase a wide range of products and services from a business.

Sense of Purpose

People are looking for purpose and a way to give their lives meaning. As crazy as it sounds, a small game can give people a sense of purpose. Just look at professional gamers who have converted their love and passion for a particular game into a career, wealth, fame, and a fully-fledged identity. If a business can use gamification to give their buyers a sense of purpose, they achieve maximum customer engagement.

Provide Autonomy

People feel empowered when they can control their destiny and make their own decisions. This is why many companies which offer customized solutions have performed so well. Gamification is another way businesses can provide buyers with autonomy. By creating a game where customers can make decisions and are given the freedom to explore a new world, you can radically alter their behavior and form a tight bond with them. Many people around the world are looking for greater autonomy in their lives, and if they can’t achieve it in real life, they will look for it in virtual worlds. There is a reason why Grand Theft Auto allows you to live life on your terms in a multi-billion dollar game!

Accomplishment

It feels good when you accomplish goals, and you feel like you are progressing in life. Games are an easy way to give customers a sense of accomplishment rapidly. Games do this by unlocking new characters, allowing you to progress to new levels, giving you badges and customizations when you complete goals, and even playing victory music when you win. These little tricks give buyers a sense of happiness as they feel like they are achieving something. Companies attaching their brand to a sense of accomplishment will find no shortage of long-term customers.

Belonging

Humans are social by nature and always look for their place in a group. People who don’t feel like they belong are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, stress, and anti-social issues. While in contrast, people with a strong sense of belonging are happier, have more stable emotions, and are more emotionally resilient. Customers can find a sense of belonging within games that can act as virtual worlds. A sense of belonging is a powerful motivating factor that will inspire customers to spend hours within a game. Companies associated with belonging and connection will form long-term relationships with their buyers and have no issues inspiring them to purchase products and services.

Positive Emotion

A lot of us are constantly searching for our next dopamine hit. Whether that is a yummy piece of chocolate, a funny YouTube clip, or an engrossing game. A well-designed game can provide consistent and intense positive emotion over a long period of time. People have been playing legendary games like Dota 2 and FIFA for years and can still derive an intensely positive reaction. Games with frequent rewards are a great way to get customers into a good mood and give them a healthy dose of dopamine. The key is to design a game that is challenging but not too challenging where it causes frustration. If a customer always associates a company with a warm, fuzzy feeling and pure happiness, do you think they will purchase from them? Of course, they are!

Relationships

Who doesn’t want to find love or make friends? In the internet age, more and more people are meeting and socializing online. One of the most popular ways to spend time and socialize online is through games. A well-designed game should have a strong social element such as being multiplayer, having a chat function, being compatible with microphones, allowing users to have a friends list, and searching for other players. By having a social element, customers will see the game as more than just a way to kill a few minutes when they are bored. Instead, they will see it as a place where they can pursue social relationships. If customers make friends and even meet their husbands and wives through a company’s game, they will win a lot of business! 

Monetary Rewards

Customers aren’t just playing games for fun or to socialize. They are now playing games to earn money and rewards. Games have become serious business! There are now apps specifically designed to earn money, where gamers are rewarded for the time spent playing and their performance within the game. Companies also offer discounts, limited edition items, and invites to exclusive events to customers who unlock rewards within games. Providing monetary rewards within games is a unique way a brand can get customers interested in their products and encourage them to learn more about their company.

Social Status

People want to separate themselves from others and achieve high status. This jockeying position can reveal itself in various ways, from wearing expensive clothes to buying a fancy car, to even becoming a champion of a particular game. In the past, gamers were derided as being nerdy and low status for spending their time glued to a screen and playing a game. Now companies can form mutually beneficial relationships with customers where the company provides the game that the customer can use to achieve status, and in exchange, the customer supports the company through advocating for it and purchasing products. 

Final Thoughts

The world has gone game crazy, and it seems like companies are trying to create an app and turn every niche into a game. The reason they are doing this is that the process of gamification has such a powerful impact on customer behavior. Gamification can provide customers with simple entertainment, help them socialize, allow them to earn money, add meaning to their life, and a lot more. Companies looking to engage customers more effectively should be investing in gamification right now! After all, isn’t life just one big game?