Top 10 Examples: eCommerce Gamification

A solid gamification strategy aims to keep consumers interested over a specific period. The aim of the game (literally!) is to turn everyday actions into more engaging experiences. An age-old example would be eBay’s bidding system. EBay turns the shopping experience into a competitive game, making buyers feel like winners! Also, consider the yearly McDonald’s Monopoly. Here, the action of buying fast food into a game. Consumers become more involved in the prospect of winning, turning buying fast food into a game of chance.

However, gamifying your online store should be done carefully. If you overdo it, your website might be slow and unresponsive, putting customers off. Moreover, you must get the fundamentals right before even considering gamifying your online store. So, if you’re still beginning your eCommerce journey, click here to access a guide on eCommerce hosting providers.

By looking at ten real-world eCommerce gamification examples, this blog considers different ways you should gamify your online store. We’ll explore some benefits in more detail and look at some tools to get you started.

Understanding gamification in eCommerce

Before we look at the top 10 eCommerce gamification examples that will revolutionize shopping, it’s essential to understand what ‘gamification’ means.

Ecommerce gamification refers to incorporating elements commonly seen in video games and applying them to retail. Nevertheless, gamification is an efficient strategy to attract customers to engage with your brand. Here are some key stats:

• By 2025, gamification sales revenue alone will be worth $32B
• 70% of global 2000 companies leverage gamification techniques
• Businesses leveraging gamification techniques and strategies see a 7X higher conversion rate

Common gamification elements

Here is a selection of some gamification in eCommerce features to incorporate:

• Loyalty programs: Customers earn points and ‘level up’ by progressing through tiers. Doing so unlocks rewards such as discounts. This encourages customer loyalty and repeat purchases.
• Challenges: Create time-bound challenges to win prizes. E.g., challenge customers to complete a specific challenge within a certain timeframe.
• Progress bars for free shipping: Provide a visual progress bar that allows customers to see how far they are from ‘winning’ free shipping. Ultimately, doing so will encourage shoppers to add more items to their carts.
• Quizzes/Questionnaires: Leverage quizzes to lead customers to personalized product recommendations.
• Spin-to-win features: Interactive spinning wheels allow customers to win discounts or free shipping.
• Referral programs: Offer points/rewards for customers who refer friends.

What are the benefits of gamification?

The best gamification eCommerce examples reap several benefits, including:

Get the basics right before considering eCommerce gamification

Before gamifying your eCommerce store, you must ensure the fundamentals are correct. Remember, your visitors want:

1. Fast-loading and device-responsive pages
2. Transparent pricing and payment options
3. High-quality product information (including pictures/videos)
4. Customer reviews
5. Live inventory or other availability cues

You want to add as little friction to the user experience as possible. Don’t force customers to dismiss 4-5 pop-ups/panels for them to find the product is out-of-stock!

Top 10 gamification eCommerce examples that will revolutionize shopping

We’ve put together the top 10 eCommerce gamification examples that will revolutionize shopping. From luxury brands and the metaverse – to simple steps towards a successful gamification eCommerce strategy.

• Lacoste
• Build-A-Bear
• Elaina Gisele Collection
• JD Sports (King of the Game)
• Charlotte Tilbury
• Track Brewing Co.
• Harvey Nichols
• Casper
• Gucci
• Evereve (Trendsend)

Lacoste

Lacoste’s virtual store leverages the metaverse to illustrate the fashion brand’s creativity. In addition, Lacoste utilizes scavenger hunt elements, allowing users to unlock vouchers and discounts.

In 2023, the brand utilized the storefront to showcase its summer collection. Lacoste’s virtual shopping experience aims to create community and shopper loyalty by offering a unique metaverse-drive retail experience.

Disclaimer: Lacoste’s virtual store is an extreme example of big-budget fashion brands creating innovative shopping experiences. There are more straightforward ways to leverage gamification that we’ll look at, so don’t be put off!

Build-A-Bear

Build-A-Bear’s bonus club offers a range of benefits. For instance, you earn 1 point for every £1 you spend, which you can spend on products. In addition, you’re also first to know about new releases and deals, giving consumers an element of exclusivity.

Furthermore, Build-A-Bear even turns your birthday into a game! With the ‘Count Your Candles’ scheme, you ‘pay your age’ to purchase the Birthday Treat Bear. The offer is free to Bonus Club members.

Elaina Gisele Collection

US jewelry retailer Elaine Gisele Collection leverages a ‘spin-to-win’ pop-up when users visit their site. Therefore, by entering their name and email address, users get a chance to win discounts and other prizes.

JD Sports (King of the Game)

In 2022, Pimberly customer JD Sports transformed its flagship London store into the ultimate JD arcade. In collaboration with Snapchat, JD Sport’s AR experience allows consumers to interact with a claw grabber game. Consequently, shoppers just had to scan the code on the storefront to access the game on the phone.

The concept was teased in a television advert featuring celebrities entering a JD dream world. Following this, JD then rolled out around the country alongside the JD Christmas App game.

Charlotte Tilbury

Like Lacoste, Charlotte Tilbury has leveraged the metaverse, connecting physical, augmented, and virtual worlds. For instance, the Virtual Disney 100 x Charlotte Tilbury Beuty Wonderland allows users to create 3D branded avatars. Customize your character with makeup looks inspired by Disney characters and the Tilbury product range.

In addition, the virtual world contains a garden racing game, allowing users to win Disney 100 x Charlotte Tilbury range products.

Track Brewing Co.

There’s nothing flashy, no gimmicks. In fact, Track Brewery does gamification really well.

The Track Brewery reward scheme is accessed by a button on the bottom left of their web page. From here, users can access their membership scheme. Users can earn rewards and coupons by referring friends and making 1 ‘Track Token’ for every £1 spent.

In addition, if you click the cart button on the right-hand side, Track provides a progress bar to see how much you need to spend to qualify for free shipping.

Harvey Nichols

Pimberly customer Harvey Nichols utilizes a no-frills, no-fuss reward scheme. To illustrate, consumers can move up levels and receive benefits and points relative to their spending. The higher the level, the more benefits you can choose.

Benefits include champagne lunches, free drinks in-store, free standard delivery, and various vouchers.

Casper

Casper’s mattress quiz turns choosing a mattress into an interactive and engaging experience. By answering quiz questions, Casper will provide a mattress recommendation bespoke to the needs and preferences of the consumer. Like in a video game, the user’s choices directly affect the outcome!

Gucci

Gucci Town is another example of luxury brands leveraging the metaverse. Namely, users can engage in various mini-games and challenges, exploring Gucci’s heritage and product range.

Gucci Town has a virtual currency that users can earn through mini-games. Consequently, users can spend their virtual cash on virtual Gucci products for their Roblox characters – and connect with Gucci enthusiasts worldwide!

Click here for access to a gamification in eCommerce video about Gucci Town.

Evereve (Trendsend)

It all starts with a quiz! Trendsend by Evereve is another excellent example of how gamification and personalization go hand-in-hand. After answering a few short questions, you’re connected to your stylist to help you achieve your wardrobe goals. You can also refer friends, too.

Gamification eCommerce platforms: a new era

As we’ve explored, there are different types of gamification. However, you need the best technology to implement eCommerce gamification successfully. Below are some of the ways leading gamification platforms for eCommerce and retail allow online store owners to gamify the customer experience:

Shopify

As a leading eCommerce platform, Shopify allows you to integrate gamification elements into your online store easily. The flexible infrastructure of Shopify means you can easily incorporate gamification elements, from loyalty schemes to ‘spin-to-win’ functionality. You’ll see improved customer engagement and encourage loyal customers.

Below are some Shopify apps and integrations to check out:

• Wheelio: Spin-to-win pop-ups. Note: ‘win-to-spin’ is an exciting example of gamification in eCommerce. As such, it’s very popular with app developers. We recommend going with Wheelio as it’s the most user-friendly.
• Gambeball: Loyalty and rewards
• ClawCrane: Gamified pop-ups and discounts
• Smile: Referrals and VIP rewards programs

Explore more Spotify integrations via the Shopify app store.

BigCommerce

Like Shopify, BigCommerce’s out-of-the-box functionality allows you to gamify the customer journey, keeping them returning for more. Through a robust library of third-party apps and integrations, online retailers can create memorable shopping experiences.

Online store owners can easily set up customizable loyalty and rewards programs. Set up your store so customers can earn discounts, free shipping, or other incentives that encourage them to shop with you again.

If you’re a BigCommerce user, here are some gamification in eCommerce features to leverage:

• Smile.io: Loyalty programs and reward schemes
• Fyrebox: Create quizzes to offer customers personalized product recommendations
• Gratisfaction: Launch giveaways and sweepstakes and reward users for specific actions (following/sharing/commenting, etc.)

More BigCommerce apps and integrations are available via their official app store.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce enables site owners to gamify the customer experience. Installing extensions such as GamiPress and Gamification for WooCommerce will let you give customers digital rewards. In addition, online store owners can configure the apps to let customers earn barges for taking particular actions, including signing up, completing a purchase, or sharing products across social media. As we’ve explored, these tactics will create a sense of accomplishment and community among users.

More Gamification eCommerce Software

Finally, below are some additional gamification platforms for ecommerce and retail:

• Omnisend: Design and automate gamification marketing strategies to increase sales.
• Bunchball Nitro: Combine gamification and data analytics via a robust platform to drive customer engagement.
• Influitive: Create a gamified shopping experience and build a community for loyal shoppers.
• LoyaltyLion: Software designed to reward customer loyalty and improve customer retention.
• Gleam: A suite of apps designed to grow your eCommerce business. In terms of gamification, they allow users to create gamified contests/giveaways.
• Storyly: Curate personalized buyer experiences with engaging quizzes and trivia.
• Peek & Poke: Drive your eCommerce marketing with customized games.