Ecommerce gamification is slowly transforming how online shops connect and engage with customers. By incorporating game elements, your customers’ shopping experience can be elevated by making it engaging and enjoyable. What’s more, gamification strategies do more than just create an entertaining experience for your customers. They also drive substantial results, such as reducing cart abandonment, improving customer loyalty, and boosting ecommerce sales. 

The Basics of Gamification

At its core, ecommerce gamification is all about transforming shopping into a more enjoyable and interactive experience. It leverages the innate human inclination for incentives and a sense of accomplishment.

So how does it all work? The basic of ecommerce gamification is about integrating game elements into your online store. For example, completing certain tasks will give them a reward (e.g. discount code). By doing so, you’re encouraging your customers to stay longer, explore your store more, and ultimately, make a purchase. With gamification techniques, you’re making your customers feel that shopping is not a chore, but more like playing a video game. 

Benefits of Gamification in Ecommerce

If you think about it, incorporating game elements into shopping is not an entirely new concept. I’m sure you’re familiar with the classic ‘spin-the-wheel’ promos you’ll find in grocery stores. There are also studies that already support the effectiveness of gamification. For example, one study found that a system of reputation points directly increases user engagement, particularly in ecommerce. 

Here are other key benefits of ecommerce gamification:

• Boosts customer engagement by keeping your customers engaged while also encouraging them to stay longer and explore your online store further. 
• Increases conversion rates by having higher engagement leads. 
• Gaming elements used during the checkout process can reduce cart abandonment.
• Fosters customer loyalty by rewarding your repeat customers and building stronger relationships with your customers. 
• Enhances customer experience by making shopping feel more than a chore. 

Effective Gamification Tactics for Sales

So, how can you leverage gamification for your online store? Like any marketing strategy, you’ll need to properly implement the gamification strategies to see tangible results. Here are some effective ecommerce gamification tactics and how you can implement them. 

Rewards Programs and Points System

This is probably the most widely used gamification tactic in ecommerce. It allows your customers to accumulate points for purchases and other actions on your online store.

Why Use Rewards Program

• Elevates overall shopping experience by making customers feel a sense of achievement.
• Increases higher average order value as customers try to accumulate more points. 
• Improves customer loyalty by rewarding repeat buyers.

How to Implement

• You can reward customers with non-purchase actions such as leaving a review or sharing on social media (and tagging you).
• Utilize tiered rewards where your customers will unlock more or better rewards as they move through the tier.
• Offer points for every sale and use those points to redeem them for exclusive items or discounts.

Actionable Tips

• If you’re using a rewards catalog for points redemption, make sure that you regularly update your catalog to keep your customers interested in the exclusive perks. 
• Send reminders to your customers at different stages of their accounts, such as when they’re close to moving up to a higher tier.

Leaderboards and Competitions

Another gamification tactic you can use is through leaderboards and competitions. With this, you’re encouraging competition. It promotes higher engagement and will keep your customers coming back to your store. 

Why Use Leaderboards and Competitions

• Improves brand awareness as more customers share their progress with the rest of the community.
• Increases social sharing and customer engagement.
• Drives competitiveness, encouraging customers to spend more.

How to Implement

• Display your leaderboard publicly on all your platforms, such as social media accounts and your site, to promote participation and competitiveness.
• Organize time-limited competitions or challenges to promote a sense of urgency.
• Let your customers compete for top spender or most frequent shopper spots and reward them accordingly.

Actionable Tips:

• Keep your rewards exciting to promote participation. For example, some baby clothing brands offer photoshoots to their highest spender. 
• Look for integration or plugins to incorporate leaderboards into your ecommerce store.

Mystery Boxes

As the name implies, mystery boxes add the element of surprise to your customers’ shopping experience. Customers pay for a chance to receive random products from your store, adding mystery and fun to their purchases. 

Why Do Mystery Boxes

• The sense of mystery creates excitement, which improves engagement with your store and brand. 
• Increases the average order value since your customers will more likely to purchase more to get a chance to win big. 
• Improves repeat purchases as your customers will try their luck again. 

How to Implement:

• Use limited-time promotions where you offer the mystery boxes on certain holiday periods like Black Friday. 
• Create tiered mystery boxes with more or better surprises as the tier increases. 
• Ensure to include exclusive items to get a reward for their purchases. 

Actionable Tips:

• Communicate the potential value inside each mystery box to build excitement.
• Build excitement by encouraging social sharing when unboxing mystery boxes. 

Limited-Time Challenges and Offers (Flash Sales or Scavenger Hunts)

Limited-time challenges and offers, such as scavenger hunts or flash sales, create a sense of urgency and excitement for your customers. Because of the sense of urgency, it drives your customers to act quickly. 

Why Do Limited Time Challenges and Offers 

• Drives urgency, motivating customers to take action quickly.
• Increase engagement as more customers participate in the challenges.
• Promotes repeat visits as customers return to your store for new offers. 

How to Implement:

• Take advantage of the sense of urgency by launching the time-limited offers for only a short time. 
• Include exclusive discounts or items to promote participation when they unlock deals. 
• Use countdown timers to promote the sense of urgency that makes your customers act quickly. 

Actionable Tips:

• Ensure you provide clear instructions on how your customers can participate and get rewarded. 

Spin-to-Win and Instant Win Games

Spin-to-win and instant-win games are probably another common strategy when you hear of ecommerce gamification. This tactic provides customers with an interactive and enjoyable way to win rewards. 

Why Use Spin-to-Win and Instant Win Games

• Promotes purchases by offering discounts when they’re browsing your online store. 
• Increase your email list as customers give their contact details to participate. 

How to Implement:

• Find good apps that easily integrate into your online store. 
• Add this game around special sales events or holidays. 
• Offer rewards they can use right away but also make them feel like a winner. 

Actionable Tips:

• Keep it simple. The goal is to keep them engaged while giving rewards to encourage purchases. 
• Make sure you use rotating rewards to keep them interested and promote return visits. 

Wrapping It Up

Ecommerce gamification is a powerful marketing strategy. When done right, it can help boost customer engagement, increase average order value, and promote customer loyalty. By tapping key psychological triggers such as achievement and rewards, gamification can give you a unique way of engaging with your customers.