IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/orisre/v34y2023i2p766-785.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Fun Shopping: A Randomized Field Experiment on Gamification

Author

Listed:
  • Yi-Jen (Ian) Ho

    (Smeal College of Business, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802)

  • Siyuan Liu

    (Smeal College of Business, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802)

  • Lei Wang

    (Smeal College of Business, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802)

Abstract

Gamification utilizes game-like features to engage participants, widely implemented in a variety of contexts. Such an IT-enabled engagement strategy serves as a marketing device to boost sales and customer loyalty. This study focuses on two significant game elements (i.e., badges and leaderboards) that promote consumer motivations and social comparisons. To qualify the impacts, we conduct a randomized field experiment at one of the largest shopping malls in Asia. In the experiment, we contrast the two elements against coupons regarding various shopping outcomes. A two-period design (consisting of the treatment and posttreatment periods) identifies the long-term behavior changes after the treatment removals. The main results suggest that badging and leaderboarding promote sales by 21.5% and 22.5% in the treatment period, respectively, whereas couponing delivers a more potent effect of 31.7%. In the posttreatment period, the gamification impacts remain significant compared with the baseline, but the influence of couponing fades out. Besides, the additional analyses document the salient heterogeneous treatment effects across demographics. We further discover the substantial differences in the within-group heterogeneity across the treatments. Specifically, badging is a balanced tool for attracting the general public, whereas leaderboarding is a double-edged sword that could encourage self-reinforcing or self-banishing. Finally, gamification brings more explorations that lead to additional sales and engagements. Overall, the robust results can be translated into actionable strategies to utilize gamification proactively.

Suggested Citation

  • Yi-Jen (Ian) Ho & Siyuan Liu & Lei Wang, 2023. "Fun Shopping: A Randomized Field Experiment on Gamification," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 34(2), pages 766-785, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orisre:v:34:y:2023:i:2:p:766-785
    DOI: 10.1287/isre.2022.1147
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/isre.2022.1147
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/isre.2022.1147?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yi Zhang & Femke van Horen & Marcel Zeelenberg, 2021. "Increasing saving intentions through leaderboards: A gamification approach," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(4), pages 1-16, April.
    2. Ni Huang & Gordon Burtch & Yili Hong & Paul A. Pavlou, 2020. "Unemployment and Worker Participation in the Gig Economy: Evidence from an Online Labor Market," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 31(2), pages 431-448, June.
    3. Radhika Santhanam & De Liu & Wei-Cheng Milton Shen, 2016. "Research Note—Gamification of Technology-Mediated Training: Not All Competitions Are the Same," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 27(2), pages 453-465, June.
    4. Buunk, Abraham P. & Gibbons, Frederick X., 2007. "Social comparison: The end of a theory and the emergence of a field," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 102(1), pages 3-21, January.
    5. Xi, Nannan & Hamari, Juho, 2020. "Does gamification affect brand engagement and equity? A study in online brand communities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 449-460.
    6. Hofacker, Charles F. & de Ruyter, Ko & Lurie, Nicholas H. & Manchanda, Puneet & Donaldson, Jeff, 2016. "Gamification and Mobile Marketing Effectiveness," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 25-36.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Isabel Kittyma Disse, 2024. "Gamification as a Multichannel Marketing Instrument: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda," Working Papers Dissertations 117, Paderborn University, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Behl, Abhishek & Jayawardena, Nirma & Pereira, Vijay & Islam, Nazrul & Giudice, Manlio Del & Choudrie, Jyoti, 2022. "Gamification and e-learning for young learners: A systematic literature review, bibliometric analysis, and future research agenda," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    2. João M. Lopes & Sofia Gomes & Ivo Rodrigues, 2024. "Playing the gamification and co-creation game: a bibliometric literature review," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 74(1), pages 353-376, February.
    3. Sharma, Wamika & Lim, Weng Marc & Kumar, Satish & Verma, Aastha & Kumra, Rajeev, 2024. "Game on! A state-of-the-art overview of doing business with gamification," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    4. Kosuke Uetake & Nathan Yang, 2020. "Inspiration from the “Biggest Loser”: Social Interactions in a Weight Loss Program," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 39(3), pages 487-499, May.
    5. Juin-Ming Tsai & Shiu-Wan Hung & Guan-Ting Lin, 2022. "Continued usage of smart wearable devices (SWDs): cross-level analysis of gamification and network externality," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 32(3), pages 1661-1676, September.
    6. Bitrián, Paula & Buil, Isabel & Catalán, Sara, 2021. "Enhancing user engagement: The role of gamification in mobile apps," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 170-185.
    7. Li, Mingwei & Lu, Man & Akram, Umair & Cheng, Shaoen, 2024. "Understanding how customer social capital accumulation in brand communities: A gamification affordance perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    8. Lubart, Allan & Capelli, Sonia, 2024. "Gamification of the point of sale using hybrid-reality games: Non-players' negative influence on players' service experience," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    9. Matt Grimes, 2010. "Strategic Sensemaking within Funding Relationships: The Effects of Performance Measurement on Organizational Identity in the Social Sector," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 34(4), pages 763-783, July.
    10. Xiaolun Wang & Xinlin Yao, 2020. "Fueling Pro-Environmental Behaviors with Gamification Design: Identifying Key Elements in Ant Forest with the Kano Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-17, March.
    11. Xiaoyu Xu & Luyao Wang & Kai Zhao, 2020. "Exploring Determinants of Consumers’ Platform Usage in “Double Eleven” Shopping Carnival in China: Cognition and Emotion from an Integrated Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-18, April.
    12. Christian Maier & Sven Laumer & Tim Weitzel, 2022. "A Dark Side of Telework: A Social Comparison-Based Study from the Perspective of Office Workers," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 64(6), pages 793-811, December.
    13. Goerke, Laszlo & Pannenberg, Markus, 2015. "Direct evidence for income comparisons and subjective well-being across reference groups," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 95-101.
    14. Liu, Jiawei & Niederdeppe, Jeff, 2024. "Effects of communicating health disparities using social comparison framing: A comprehensive review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 348(C).
    15. Claudine Gartenberg & Julie Wulf, 2017. "Pay Harmony? Social Comparison and Performance Compensation in Multibusiness Firms," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(1), pages 39-55, February.
    16. Dominique Carry & Valérie-Inès de La Ville, 2021. "Process of adopting a personal data portability service: highlighting the ambiguity perceived by young users [Processus d’adoption d’un service de portabilité des données personnelles : mise en lum," Post-Print hal-03328025, HAL.
    17. Philip Wollborn & David Dornekott & Ulrike Holder, 2023. "Entrepreneurial efforts and opportunity costs: evidence from twitch streamers," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 1209-1238, September.
    18. Javier Monforte & Joan Úbeda-Colomer & Miquel Pans & Víctor Pérez-Samaniego & José Devís-Devís, 2021. "Environmental Barriers and Facilitators to Physical Activity among University Students with Physical Disability—A Qualitative Study in Spain," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-15, January.
    19. Giuseppe Criaco & Philipp Sieger & Karl Wennberg & Francesco Chirico & Tommaso Minola, 2017. "Parents’ performance in entrepreneurship as a “double-edged sword” for the intergenerational transmission of entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 49(4), pages 841-864, December.
    20. Ryan W. Buell, 2017. "Last Place Aversion in Queues," Harvard Business School Working Papers 18-053, Harvard Business School, revised Oct 2019.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:orisre:v:34:y:2023:i:2:p:766-785. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.