Gamification and online consumer decisions: Is the game over?

Abstract

Consumption can be more than just a necessity; it can become a leisure activity. With the emergence of e-commerce and social media, products and services are just one click away; a trend that is further driven by gamified systems. This research aims to systematically analyze the most relevant academic literature on gamification, to establish if it influences online consumer decisions and, if so, which elements, mechanisms, and theories can explain it. After a thorough search from Web of Science and Scopus databases using SciMAT, 257 papers were analyzed. Twenty-nine (29) of the 36 papers found show empirical evidence that the inclusion of game elements in non-game activities has a significant influence on consumer engagement and online consumer decisions in digital contexts. Moreover, rewards and challenges were identified as the two most used mechanisms, with points, badges, and leaderboards being the most tested gamification elements. The Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) are the two most common theoretical explanations for why gamification works. Lastly, possible future studies to include thematic, methodological and theoretical agendas were discussed.

Enhancing Consumer Online Purchase Intention Through Gamification in China: Perspective of Cognitive Evaluation Theory

“…Some scholars have suggested conducting a survey on specified gamification design elements, so as to improve the design and obtain the benefits of gamification (Kim and Johnson, 2016;Mitchell et al, 2020;Mullins and Sabherwal, 2020). Thus, it is quite important to analyze the use of gamification business applications to understand the impact of gamification and social cognition on e-commerce success (Wakefield et al, 2011;Tobon et al, 2020;Xi and Hamari, 2020). According to CET, increasing all aspects of value can enhance more customers' experience of enjoyment and ultimately promote online consumer behavior.…”

“…For example, people who shop online because they enjoy looking over new things and expanding their consumer knowledge are intrinsically motivated to be there. However, some scholars agree that the intrinsic motivation factor is more important than extrinsic motivation and has a greater impact on consumer behavior (Reiss, 2004;Deterding et al, 2011;Tobon et al, 2020).…”

“…In the design of gamification, rewards are what the user receives as a return for completing pre-assigned tasks. Rewards and challenges have been identified as the two mechanisms that are most commonly used for gamification (Tobon et al, 2020). Rewards can motivate consumers to make every effort to improve their level and get more points or loots (Deterding et al, 2011).…”

“…In the context of fierce competition among online shopping platforms, many such platforms not only face domestic competitors, but also have to consolidate the barriers to entry of foreign competitors (Xi and Hamari, 2020). Thus, the concept of gamification is an important source of stimulation in the marketing theory of consumer behavior decision (Tobon et al, 2020;Xi and Hamari, 2020), and it provides specific directions for researchers in the study of online marketing. Therefore, this study aims to explore the effect of gamification on consumers' online purchase intention.…”

Food Waste Reduction: A Test of Three Consumer Awareness Interventions

“…Gamification, which is usually delivered through technology such as apps, falls into this class of approaches. Gamification is the use of game elements and design in non-game contexts to promote behavioural change [35], the tracking of individual behaviours, and the provision of visual feedback on progress in the game [36]. The gamification intervention in our study consisted of a simple online educational trivia-based game with facts and strategies to help participants learn to reduce food waste.…”