Gamify, engage, build loyalty: exploring the benefits of gameful experience for branded sports apps

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of the gameful experience on behavioural outcomes. Drawing from stimulus–organism–response theory, it proposes and tests a new model that investigates the relationship between the gameful experience, brand loyalty and intention to use gamified branded applications in the sports context. In addition, it explores the mediating role of customer–brand engagement (CBE) and the moderating role of self-image congruity (SIC). Design/methodology/approach A sample of 436 active users of sport-related branded gamified applications was used to test the model. Data was collected from online sports forums, brands’ Facebook communities and during sporting events. Findings Results indicate that the gameful experience positively and directly impacts behavioural intentions but does not directly influence brand loyalty. This relationship becomes partially significant when mediated by CBE. In addition, results show that users with high levels of SIC are more likely to continue using the gamified application, whereas users with low levels are more likely to engage with the brand. Originality/value This study expands the gamification literature in the sports sector by revealing the importance of the gameful experience in driving loyalty, behavioural intentions and CBE. It proposes a new model that sheds light on the emotional aspect of the interaction between a user and a gamified system and the importance of exploring the effects of moderators, such as SIC, in these relationships.

Once upon a game: boosting brand storytelling through gamification

“…Secondly, this paper joins the gamification literature that has demonstrated the positive effects of gamification on consumer responses (Hwang and Choi, 2020; Mulcahy et al , 2020; Tsou and Putra, 2023). In line with previous works (Nobre and Ferreira, 2017; Habachi et al , 2024), the results of this study help to highlight the need for the gamification content generated by brands to provide users with positive brand experiences. This study confirms the power of games to provide hedonic and informative value, in line with other studies that point towards the importance of these dimensions of the gamification experience (Mulcahy et al , 2020; Müller-Stewens et al , 2017; Zhao and Renard, 2018).…”

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“…The response is the outcome of an internal process of the organism and/or the stimulus (Habachi et al ., 2024), manifested as an approach or avoidance behavior or behavioral intention towards a product/service, brand, or shopping environment. The response includes cognition, information search, evaluation, purchase, and post-purchase behavior (Zhang and Benyoucef, 2016).…”