How Gamification Improves User Experience
Which of the following websites would you most likely make a purchase from? If you subscribe or make a buy from site #1, you will get points toward a 20% discount. Or, when visiting site #2, if you subscribe or purchase the same product, there is no reward or appreciation, but just a cold, calculated transaction.
The process of getting a customer to convert requires great user experience. In the case above, if you are like most people, you’ll likely choose the first website. That site contains elements of gamification, which engages the customer and improves their user experience — which can significantly help the process of conversion through your business website.
So, what is gamification, how can it improve user experience, and how can you implement it into your business website? Read below to find out.
What is Gamification?
Multiple industries see gamification as a way to incentivize customers, train employees, and educate students, among many other applications. Forbes states that successful gamification involves:
“The aim is to use points and rewards to make previously boring tasks slightly more interesting. Managers set staff goals that are aligned with those of the business, with agents then able to earn rewards for achieving these targets.”
Gamification is very applicable to the business and marketing industry. Implementing gaming elements into your business website is proven to boost customer engagement, and ultimately sales. The driving factor behind this customer engagement is that gamification carries extraordinary user experience abilities.
How Gamification Improves User Experience
If you are strategizing your business website, don’t leave out elements of gamification for excellent user experience. Gamification can create fun and enjoyable experiences for the customer through animations. For example, features such as points and levels can be used as progress trackers, encouraging customers to come back time and again to “level up.” Offering points, leveling up, or other rewards for referrals, purchases, and subscriptions will not only retain customers but spread the word to others about the incentives program.
Points, or leveling up toward free products and services as a reward for referrals, will boost your word-of-mouth marketing as well. Mashable explains two types of influences and how they increase stats.
“Influence impressions happen on social media and networking sites. Influence posts are more permanent data points in blog posts, ratings and reviews sites, and in discussion forums. These tend to be less directed, in that when putting a post online it’s not usually known how many or who will be reading it.”
Gamification elevates marketing strategies because it provides levels of user experience that customers can’t seem to get enough of; adding gaming elements to your website to maximize conversion rates that are easy to implement.
How to Gamify Your Website
Many businesses are choosing to add gaming elements to their websites and marketing strategies, and you can as well. For example, many airline companies have an incentives program — such as air miles — as encouragement for buying their products or services. Add animation and a points system to your business to keep them working toward a discount or free product.
A progress tracker is a great way to get customers to start working or purchasing toward free products, but it’s also great for educational and fitness websites. Duolingo, a language learning website, tracks progress to let customers know how they are doing and what to do next. Fitness websites use progress trackers in the same way, leveling up for the number of exercises you record. Add an incentives program as a way to reward progress, and customers will be heavily engaged — visiting your website regularly.
For lead generation and recruitment, take a look at the U.S. Army’s website. The army has a strong recruitment program due to providing virtual scenarios and experiences. These game-like simulations have been wildly successful in bringing in recruits. Businesses can use the same idea to gain customers by showing a virtual simulation of how your product or service can benefit them in a variety of ways.
Gamification is still in its early stages, but the advantages are already making waves in many industries. Its applications in the business industry can benefit your website and marketing efforts significantly. Get started with some of the information above to boost the user experience of your website, and as a result, increase your conversion rate.
