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In today's digital era, nudging online sales can be a challenging endeavor, with consumers inundated by a constant stream of online advertisements and marketing efforts. Enter gamification – a powerful and innovative approach to captivate and motivate customers to make a purchase.
We explore 10 compelling examples of brands that have harnessed the power of gamification to effectively increase sales through diverse strategies and campaigns, showcasing the versatility and impact of gamification in the world of sales.
What is gamification in sales?
If you Google “gamification in sales”, you will find lots of content about how to use gamification to motivate your sales teams. But, gamification in sales extends beyond motivating sales teams; it encompasses a broader spectrum of strategies aimed at enhancing overall sales performance. While it does play a crucial role in incentivizing sales professionals, gamification can also be a powerful tool for encouraging end customers to make online purchases or even visit your physical stores.
Gamification in sales leverages the principles of game mechanics to engage and motivate potential customers, making the sales process more engaging and rewarding. This can involve anything from loyalty programs that offer rewards and discounts to interactive online games that drive traffic to your ecommerce of physical stores. Ultimately, it’s a multifaceted approach that not only boosts sales team performance but also fosters customer engagement and drives revenue through innovative interactive strategies.
10 examples of brand using gamification to increase sales
Below are10 examples of brands that utilized gamification to boost sales through diverse strategies and campaigns.
1. eCooking’s sales-driven product recommender
First, let's take a look at eCooking, a beauty brand company that used gamification to increase sales revenue and build a successful e-commerce business in just 12 months.
One of their most successful campaigns is the Foundation Finder, which is a product recommender designed to help potential customers identify the best shade of foundation for their skin color. eCooking knew that selling foundation online could be challenging, as customers typically prefer to try shades on their skin to see if they are a good fit. Additionally, in a traditional retail setting, potential customers could seek assistance from store staff. eCooking aimed to replicate this level of service and guide online customers in choosing the right shade for their skin. They developed the Foundation Finder using the Playable platform. Essentially, by answering a series of questions, customers are recommended the right foundation shade for them. The campaign was so successful that it became an always-on campaign available directly on their homepage.
“With Playable, we have an online ‘sales person’ that makes sure that the customer has a great experience and is much more likely to leave with goods in the bag. Just like what would happen in a real store. The ‘Foundation Finder’ personality test has been extremely helpful in making our make-up collection the success it is.”
– Morten Junge Bertelsen, Global Head of E-commerce, Ecooking
Read the full story of how Ecooking built a successful e-commerce business in 12 months using gamification!
2. Kämp Hotels’ engaging personality test
Kämp Collection Hotels, a distinguished hotel group in Finland, employed an innovative strategy to boost sales by introducing a 'See which hotel matches your personality!' personality test. This unique test helped participants find the hotel that best matched their hotel preferences. Upon test completion, participants received not only a special stay offer, starting at just €95 per night but also a personalized recommendation tailored to their personality.
Following the personality test, participants received an automated email containing the offer and additional information about the hotel that best aligned with their test responses. This final touch also helped enhance conversion rates.
3. DFS’ engaging living room puzzle campaign
Sometimes, it's not necessary to create a complex user flow or employ intricate gamified campaigns to drive sales. Instead, it can be as simple as presenting your product in an engaging and enjoyable manner while strategically placing compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) to encourage purchases.
For instance, DFS, a prominent UK furniture retailer specializing in sofas, opted for a fun and straightforward puzzle to showcase their Dopamine Brights inspired Living Room. Participants were invited to piece together the puzzle, providing them with a visual overview of the various products used in the room's décor. At the end of the experience, strategically placed CTAs prompted users to purchase the three key pieces of furniture in the living room: the sofa, armchair, and footstool, as well as offering an additional CTA to subscribe to their newsletter. This approach effectively captures the attention of potential customers on social media platforms, engaged them with an enjoyable brand experience (the puzzle), and ultimately nudges them towards making a purchase.
4. KLEKT’s Black Friday repeated purchases campaign
Brands often rely on seasonal events like Black Friday and Christmas to boost sales, but the challenge lies in standing out amidst the noise of online advertising during these intense shopping periods. KLEKT, a sneaker marketplace, tackled this issue with a strategic gamification approach to their Black Friday campaign.
On Black Friday, once a customer made a purchase from Klekt, they received an automatic email with a wheel of fortune game, presenting them with a chance to win enticing rewards such as discount codes for their next purchase or other goodies. Each winner received a unique code redeemable on the website, effectively employing gamification and rewards not only to captivate their audience but also to motivate them to return to the Klekt website for a subsequent purchase. This campaign not only increased engagement but also contributed to boosting sales by encouraging repeat visits and purchases, showcasing the effectiveness of gamification as a sales-boosting strategy.
Read the full story of how KLEKT used gamification to drive repeat purchases!
5. Hi Fi Kubben’s Christmas wish list campaign
Another great example of a seasonal campaign that utilized gamification to enhance sales comes from Hi FI Klubben, who introduced a Christmas campaign: a swipe it game. In this engaging campaign, participants were encouraged to swipe right if they liked the featured products or swipe left if the items didn't pique their interest. The game aimed to inspire participants by showcasing a variety of products that could be added to their holiday wish lists.
Upon completing the swipe it game, participants could see the products that they had liked, and could click on CTA buttons to learn more about the different products. It was also an easy way for them to share their preferred products with family members as gift suggestions This gamified campaign not only engaged participants but also effectively captured leads and promoted products, contributing to increased sales for Hi FI Klubben.
6. Sculpted by Aimee Easter drop game campaign with discount codes
Another great seasonal campaign that effectively drove sales, this time during Easter, was orchestrated by Sculpted by Aimee, the well-known Irish makeup brand. Sculpted By Aimee introduced an engaging Easter drop game, challenging participants to accumulate 150 points in just 30 seconds for a chance to win a discount and enter a draw for a £200 prize.
To play, participants would move around a Sculpted by Aimee shopping bag, collecting various Sculpted by Aimee products while skillfully avoiding non-Sculpted icons. Every participant was guaranteed a prize, either a 15% discount code or free shipping, which significantly contributed to increasing sales. The campaign also featured a compelling call-to-action, encouraging participants to "Shop bestsellers" using either their discount code or their free shipping, ensuring that the engagement seamlessly translated into tangible sales for Sculpted by Aimee.
7. Carlsberg’s on-pack scratchcard campaign
Carlsberg harnessed the power of gamification to drive beer sales with their 'Win with the Team' campaign during the Euro2020 football championship (Yes, the one held in 2021). As sponsors of the Danish National football team, they seized the opportunity to engage fans and boost brand loyalty, even though they weren't official tournament sponsors. The campaign's core message, 'Win with the team,' was simple: buy a limited edition Carlsberg can, scan the QR code, and potentially win Denmark fan merchandise.
This clever strategy not only deepened their connection to football enthusiasts but also achieved a crucial objective: driving sales. By offering fans a chance to win exclusive prizes tied to the tournament, Carlsberg leveraged the excitement surrounding the event, and encouraged fans to buy 6-packs of beers, succeeding into increased sales and solidifying their brand's presence during this sport event.
Read the entire story of how Carlsberg use gamification to drive website traffic!
8. Søstrene Grene’s branded Advent Calendar campaign
Søstrene Grene, the Danish retail chain known for its unique stores and diverse product range, strategically employed gamification to supercharge sales during the Christmas season last year. Collaborating with Playable, they launched a captivating Advent Calendar featuring daily quiz questions intricately tied to their brand story. The campaign exceeded expectations, with nearly 70% of visitors registering and Søstrene Grene ultimately gained 30,544 new subscribers within a month using their calendar.
Building on this success, Søstrene Grene leveraged the data collected from their gamified Advent Calendar to craft personalized email marketing campaigns. This tactic, executed in January, resulted in significantly higher open rates, click rates, and conversion rates than their regular email benchmarks. Ultimately and impressively, this resulted in 15% of their newly acquired subscribers converting into customers by nudging them to make online purchases. This really showcases the power of gamification in generating high-quality leads that results to sales.
“In the month following a playable campaign, participants are much more engaged. We see higher open rates, click rates, and conversion rates also. Converting 15% of the leads into customers is exciting. That is something very hard to re-create using any other marketing activities.”
Mikkel Skov Søgaard, CRM Specialist at Søstrene Grene
Read the full story of how Søstrene Grene used gamification to boost sales by doing magic with email marketing!
9. Natusan’s free trial waste calculator campaign
You might think that gamification only works for "trendy" products with easy marketing potential, but that's not the case! Gamification can be effective at boosting sales across various industries. Take, for instance, Natusan, a company specializing in eco-friendly cat litter. They aimed to increase sales of their sustainable cat litter and achieved this by creating a waste calculator. Participants could calculate the environmental impact of their current cat litter compared to Natusan's biodegradable alternative by answering a few questions.
This gamified approach was a resounding success, with 26% of participants ultimately agreeing to trying Natusan's free trial cat litter, by simply agreeing to pay the shipping cost. This campaign helped Natusan in raising awareness and increasing the likelihood of potential customers switching to Natusan's eco-friendly option for their future cat litter needs.
Read the full story of how Natusan educated their customers about their products using gamification!
10. Podimo's ingenious campaign for acquiring new free trial customers
Gamification is not only effective in driving consumer goods sales but can also be the missing key to boost service sales. For instance, Podimo, the podcast and audiobook platform, harnessed the power of gamification to increase the sales of their monthly membership.
Through an Instagram story titled "Can you guess the Podcast?" they piqued curiosity and raised brand awareness. This ingenious quiz campaign not only educated the audience about Podimo's extensive podcast library but also provided an enticing incentive: 45 days of free access to the platform for quiz winners. This playable campaign exemplifies how interactive posts can not only create awareness but also educate and incentivize users to explore and engage with the brand's offerings, ultimately driving sales and customer retention. Trying a service for an extended free trial period increases the likelihood of purchasing a membership compared to not trying it at all.
Are you also interested in using gamification to increase sales?
Are you also intrigued by the remarkable potential of gamification in boosting your sales figures? These 10 examples showcase how innovative and interactive strategies can drive sales, engage customers, and create lasting brand loyalty. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, incorporating gamification into your sales and marketing efforts could be the game-changing strategy your business needs.
If you're ready to explore the possibilities of gamification and unlock its full potential for your brand, why not take a demo with us? Discover how gamification can elevate your sales performance, engage your audience, and drive tangible results.