?? Play to win: use gamification to give your app an unbeatable advantage!

While welcoming new souls is important, retaining those who are already using your product is the true long-term success. Even a mere 5% increase in retention can lead to a treasure trove of profits — up to 85%.

“But how can we achieve such magic?” ??

By weaving game-like elements into your app, you can transform mundane tasks (such as daily exercises, to-do lists) into quests. Imagine this: when your users earn points for their achievements, unlock badges for their triumphs, they will feel pride and belonging.

Loyal users are more likely to provide reviews and referrals, which can drive more acquisition and boost an app’s reputation.

There are several gamification mechanics that can be applied:

? Coins: designate coins, points, or other forms of in-app currency for specific actions or achievements, creating a sense of progress and accomplishment.

? Achievements: badges, trophies, or other awards as motivation when you reach specific milestones or complete certain tasks to encourage continued engagement.

? Rankings: compare users against each other to create a sense of competition and encourage continued engagement.

? Tasks: present missions, tasks, challenges, or goals for users to achieve and encourage them to complete certain actions.

? Rewards: offer tangible results, such as discounts or access to exclusive content, to encourage users to continue engaging with the app or platform.

? Skills: visualize and encourage mastery of specific skills or competencies. Rewarding users for achieving different levels of proficiency can motivate them to continue interacting with an app or platform and can help them track their progress.

? Feedback: provide feedback on users’ progress and performance in real time to reinforce desired behaviors or suggest areas for improvement.

? Minigames: create games that are relevant to your app’s content and that users can play once a day or whenever they want. You can also use a familiar game (such as dice games, spinning the wheel, or picking a card) as an in-app action.

? Personalization: allow users to personalize their experience and make choices that impact their progress to facilitate a sense of autonomy and control.

? Map: visualize a user's progress so far and what content or task comes next.

? Narrative: incorporate a narrative or story arc into the user experience to create a sense of immersion and engagement.

? Characters: add an avatar or mascot to create a sense of personal connection and/or guide the user through the app. This character doesn’t have to be a person; it can be an animal or an object. It would be like the Microsoft Office assistant, the one in paperclip format, but in an app!

Top 6 gamification strategies:

Let’s explore some gamification techniques that you can use.

?? Gamification in onboarding: create a progress bar to show the user how much of the tutorial has been completed, offer a reward, designate a mascot to guide the user through the onboarding, or reward those who complete certain key onboarding milestones with special badges.

?? Gamification in loyalty: whether you already have a loyalty program or are introducing a new one with gamification elements, loyalty is a popular incentive for repeat purchases or sessions. Give users points for completing certain in-app tasks, introduce a streak feature to encourage daily use, and/or introduce a digital way to “swipe.” This can be done for in-app purchases, a monthly subscription, or another desired event. Loyalty points can be redeemed for in-app currency, real-world monetary value, pre-defined prizes, or even as an entry into a sweepstakes.

?? Gamification in e-commerce: allow your users to unlock special features, status, or rewards at certain in-app purchase (IAP) milestones. If your app offers free shipping over a certain amount, display a fixed progress bar so they can see how close they are to reaching the free shipping milestone (or another reward, such as a gift).

Consider creating special badges or rewards for consumers who purchase from your personalized product recommendations. Introduce a “spin the wheel” game to win special offers or a scratch-off ticket after a purchase with a personalized reward, such as a percentage off, a point value, or a free item.

?? Gamification for learning: this is a great way to repurpose your content marketing strategy. Whether you want to keep your user informed about a new feature (e.g., a gaming app), valuable information (e.g., a finance app), or tips on how to get the most out of your app (e.g., a productivity app), you can create a progress bar, badges, or other reward system to encourage them to continue learning.

Duolingo is considered a pioneer in the use of gamification, as it has taken an innovative approach to language learning. The app uses a system of points, levels, badges, and progress bars, along with other techniques to motivate and engage users ??

?? Profile gamification: from creating steps to complete settings or more detailed information on a profile, letting users customize their profile picture or look, an area for personalized goals, or the ability to view their status using a tiered structure.

?? Gamification in design: incorporate game-like elements into the visual design of an app or ad. For example, a pixelated illustration, a traditional game element like a treasure chest, or a progress bar.

Conclusion

Gamification is a powerful strategy for increasing user engagement, motivation, and retention in mobile apps. By incorporating game elements such as scoring, badges, levels, and challenges, developers can create a fun, rewarding experience that encourages continued use of the app.

Effective gamification design involves careful consideration of user motivations, behavior, and preferences, and can be applied to a variety of app categories, from e-commerce to education.

Learn more about how to create the best and unique products with Altabel here: https://altabel.com/ ??