Gamification in the customer journey: a conceptual model and future research opportunities

Abstract

PurposeWhile academics and practitioners increasingly recognize the impacts of gamification on customer experience (CX), its role in the customer journey remains undeveloped. This article aims to identify how gamification can leverage each customer journey stage, integrate the findings into a conceptual model and propose future research opportunities.Design/methodology/approachSince CX and customer journey are interrelated concepts, the authors rely on CX research to identify research themes that provide insights to propose the conceptual model. A systematic review of 154 articles on the interplay between gamification and CX research published from 2013 to 2022 was performed and analyzed by thematic content analysis. The authors interpreted the results according to the service customer journey stages and the taxonomy of digital engagement practices.FindingsThis article identified five main thematic categories that shape the conceptual model (design, customer journey stages, customer, technology and context). Gamification design can support customer value creation at any customer journey stage. While gamification can leverage brand engagement at the pre-service stage by enhancing customer motivation and information search, it can leverage service and brand engagement at the core and post-service stages by enhancing customer participation and brand relationships. Moreover, customer-, technology- and context-related factors influence the gamified service experience in the customer journey.Originality/valueThis article contributes to a conceptual integration between gamification and customer journey. Additionally, it provides opportunities for future research from a customer journey perspective.

The Consequences of Gamification in Mobile Commerce Platform Applications

“…Expanding our investigation to customer experience (H3), our findings align with the existing literature on the positive impact of gamification on customer experience, in line with the studies conducted by Vdov (2020) and Bitrián et al (2021). The incorporation of gamification into the mobile app creates an enjoyable and engaging environment for customers, providing novel and entertaining activities that enhance their overall experience, as noted by Djohan et al (2022) and Silva et al (2023).…”

How and when does gamification level up mobile app effectiveness? Meta-analytics review

“…From this standpoint, customer experience represents the internal and subjective response to direct or indirect engagements with the gamified mobile app ( Kumar et al, 2023b). From the gamified experience perspective, game elements are integral to shaping the customer experience in their interactions with the firm (Silva et al, 2023). These gamification elements play a crucial role in enhancing the value of a customer's interaction throughout their journey with the firm (Silva et al, 2023).…”

Personal touch in digital customer service: a conceptual framework of relational personalization for conversational AI

“…To understand how conversational AI communicates in customer service, we follow previous work (e.g. Antons and Breidbach, 2018;Furrer et al, 2020;Silva et al, 2023;Villarroel Ordenes and Zhang, 2019;Zaki and…”

“…To understand how conversational AI communicates in customer service, we follow previous work (e.g. Antons and Breidbach, 2018; Furrer et al ., 2020; Silva et al ., 2023; Villarroel Ordenes and Zhang, 2019; Zaki and McColl-Kennedy, 2020) in systematically reviewing journal articles. A systematic review helps to increase the validity of the literature review and to minimize bias by using an organized, transparent, and replicable procedure (Silva et al ., 2023).…”

“…The literature allows us to derive a conceptual framework delineating how conversation styles need to be personalized to provide a personal touch, improve the customer experience in customer service, and ultimately evoke increased loyalty and satisfaction. To understand how conversational AI communicates in customer service, we follow previous work (e.g., Antons and Breidbach 2018;Furrer et al 2020;Silva et al 2023;Villarroel Ordenes and Zhang 2019;Zaki and McColl-Kennedy 2020) in systematically reviewing journal articles. A systematic review helps to increase the validity of the literature review and to minimize the bias by using an organized, transparent, and replicable procedure (Silva et al 2023).…”