Why Gamification?

Simply put, gamification boosts customer loyalty by motivating participation, engagement and loyalty.

According to Gartner.com, “Humans are ‘hard-wired’ to enjoy games and have a natural tendency to interact more deeply in activities that are framed in a game construct.” Using gamification is simply a natural strategy for improving customer engagement and loyalty.

One of the main benefits of using gamification to increase customer engagement is better customer retention. Gamification engages at an emotional level (the idea of feeling rewarded for an action) rather than just on a transactional level (purchasing goods or services).

If you run a customer-focused small business, you can motivate customers to take certain actions by incentivizing them for frequent visits, referring your business to others, and making a purchase(s). One way to do this is through gamified mobile apps and/or software.

Gamified customer engagement can play a critical role in niche markets such as the restaurant, bar and/or nightclub industry. The salon, spa or physical fitness niches. Golfing, car wash and many other industries offering goods and services can be positively impacted by gamification.

Several other important benefits to consider when contemplating the use of gamification:

1. It Enhances Customer Engagement

Consider it’s much more entertaining for customers to interact with your business this way. They’ll feel as if they’re actively involved with your business and that they’re just not a simple bystander.

Furthermore, the idea of gamification capitalizes on customers’ innate competitive instinct to win as they feel like they’ve just “beat the system” and they are “owed” something of value. In all reality you’ve gotten their attention, they’ve engaged with your business, and you now have a chance to “wow” them and turn them into a regular paying customer, a chance you may not have had otherwise.

2. Attract More Potential Customers

By allowing your most loyal customers to share your game(s) with their family, friends and coworkers those acquaintances now become your business ambassadors by simply spreading the word, and you now have the chance to prove your merit and gain even more loyal repeat paying customers.

3. Gamification Is an Extremely Effective Marketing Tool

Gamification opens up new possibilities when it comes to your marketing strategies. It allows you to play on your customers’ emotional need to “win” something of value and they will ultimately share your game(s) and increase top-of-mind awareness of your product(s) and/or service(s). When they know, like and trust you they will recommend your products and/or services and this leads to more growth and even more profits.

If you believe contests, sweepstakes and/or giveaways (gamification) could help you grow your business, ultimately increasing revenues and profits, and you’d like to incorporate this highly effective (and extremely addictive) customer acquisition formula into your marketing program(s), simply contact us on our MomentuMarketing.net home page and we’ll get back with you to discuss in more detail how to move forward.