World-Renowned Companies Using Gamification Successfully

Wondering who uses gamification? Gamification is applied in a range of sectors. Some of these industries include hospitality, retail, finance, healthcare, and education.

Companies like Google, Domino’s Pizza, Samsung, and Starbucks, implement gamification as an excellent marketing tactic, corporate training, and a tool to increase engagement.

Successful gamification can increase customer satisfaction, make hiring more efficient, and improve productivity. Gamified elements like a reward system, point systems, leaderboards, and achievement use human psychology to inspire employees.

Gamification can be used in non-game contexts to revamp mundane tasks and make them more exciting. Here we’ll take a closer look at which companies use gamification regularly. We’ll also include gamification statistics that you may find helpful.

What is the size of the gamification industry?

Gamification has skyrocketed in popularity.

Based on recent statistics, the gamification market size is estimated to increase from $9.1 billion in 2020 to $30.7 billion by 2025. That’s a CAGR of 27.4%.

The main factor driving growth in gamification is boosting employee engagement and performance. A gamification system can be lucrative for employers, consumers, and employees.

Gamification vendors can provide revenue feedback and details, utilizing it for getting improved client-oriented strategies. This drives the adoption of game mechanics in non-game settings.

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As of 2021, gamification data shows that the global gamification industry was at $11.04 billion. For comparison, in 2016, the market value was $4.90; in 2018 was $6.80; and in 2020, it was $9.10. These gamification statistics indicate a steady growth rate.

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But adding game elements to non-game settings isn’t just good for improving business results. Game elements can also be added to learning systems. Many institutions are estimated to implement gamification in the foreseeable future.

Those who introduce gamified elements tend to see better motivation, engagement, and interest from students. As a result, regions worldwide are estimated to use a gamification strategy to revamp their learning systems.

But adding game elements to non-game settings isn’t just good for improving business results. Game elements can also be added to learning systems. Many institutions are estimated to implement gamification in the foreseeable future.

Those who introduce gamified elements tend to see better motivation, engagement, and interest from students. As a result, regions worldwide are estimated to use a gamification strategy to revamp their learning systems.

How many companies use gamification?

Roughly 70% of the 2,000 biggest companies on the globe are using gamification. Retail, health and wellness, food and beverage, and technology industries are at the forefront of using gamification in the workplace.

Businesses’ most used gamification techniques are points, levels, progress bars, goals, employee competition, onboarding, and instant feedback.

More companies are starting to use gamification in training programs for new employees and optimizing the business process. With new technology, business gamification can motivate users, stimulate a competitive spirit, and create engagement through a rewards program.

Here is a top list of some of the companies using gamification successfully.

Gamification in retail

Is gamification used in the sales of various goods and services? 

The retail industry uses gamification to increase brand awareness, build a connection with clients, and drive sales. Game mechanics can be applied in different ways to solve problems.

One great example is loyalty programs. But, gamification can demonstrate its value in retail in different ways. Want to know which companies use gamification in retail? 

Take a look at the list below.

Casper

This mattress company uses gamification to increase brand awareness. They used ads with riddles without additional context other than their logo. The answers were listed on their website.

This type of gamification inspires curiosity and drives direct traffic to their website. Also, the more interesting the advertisement, the easier for customers to become familiar with that company or their product.

These advertisements aimed not to retain clients or drive sales – but to build brand awareness.

Sephora

Sephora is one of the most well-known companies that use gamification. Some of the most successful gamification examples are their “Beauty Uncomplicated.” This is a 3-step questionnaire that helps customers find the right tools and makeup.

It uses a Tinder-like approach, where customers can swipe through their options and select the preferred product. This gamification strategy led to increased engagement for the millennial audience and better ease of use for new customers.

AliExpress

There is an entire section of the AliExpress app dedicated to gamification. Customers can do different tasks and games to win more coins. Coins are the primary currency, which could be exchanged for products and coupons.

Some of the gamification examples that game designers created are daily tasks and healthy competition among users. Although there is no direct competition, people can see how others are doing, which can motivate them to improve their daily progress and earn more coins.

IKEA

IKEA uses VR gamification to transform the online shopping experience and improve its training and onboarding process. The company launched an immersive VR experience for clients, where people can preview different styles, colors, and materials of different pieces of furniture.

The company also uses gamification for employee training. The goal is to show new hires how to start paying attention to the company policies and core values, which are “simplicity” and “togetherness.” Not only do gamification applications help with the training program, but they can also give employees better awareness of the different job functions.

Gamification in health & wellness

Companies are using gamification to improve training programs and boost employee engagement. It encourages a sense of accountability and responsibility in employees. 

Modern gamification allows employees to track the team’s challenges and manage their progress and goals. Here is a list of some companies in the healthcare industry that successfully use gamification.

Omnicare

Omnicare is the biggest provider of pharmacy services in the United States. In 2013, the company saw substantial abandonment rates and very long waiting queues. As a result, they used gamification to amplify their customer service.

Game-based elements such as rewards and points were added to boost motivation in new employees. Some of the highest performers were listed on leaderboards, and employees received prizes such as movie tickets or Amazon gift cards.

Senior executives saw 100% participation from the employees. The customer wait queues also decreased by 50%.

Ayogo Health, Inc.

Ayogo is a pharmaceutical and healthcare organization that develops client relationships using the science of engagement. The company created the Empowera healthcare gamification platform, which helps people work on their health and take their medicine on time.

This gamification platform is designed to accommodate the needs of diabetic patients. It can help them track their overall health and blood sugar levels. 

Mango Health

Mango Health is one of the top companies in the healthcare gamification market. They help patients develop healthy habits and manage their daily health. Their product boosts medication adherence rates and is dedicated to assisting patients in leading healthier lives.

Gamification in technology

Many companies are using video game features in non-game contexts. They are gamifying their workspace and websites to boost compliance training, external communications, employee motivation, engagement, and more.

They know when to implement gamification to make the most of its features. Senior executives notice increased customer loyalty and interest and a better working experience. Here are some of the top technology sector companies that use gamification.

Google

Google has been adding game concepts to most of its public elements for years. 

For example, frequent Google news readers can earn more than 500 badges. Gamification can be used to gain rapid feedback, add achievable tasks, and create clear objectives and compelling narratives.

Google gamified its logos. The company changes its logo to celebrate different events and occasions. But it can also be turned into a playable interactive logo. 

One of its most popular gamified logos was the Pac-Man for the 30th anniversary. The logo was turned into a playable video game to honor Les Paul. Transforming the Google logo with gamified concepts generates a ton of traffic to its search page.

Microsoft

Microsoft is an excellent example of using gamification elements in different training and courses. Gamification involves the use of various game mechanics to boost employee performance. Microsoft Teams is one of the most popular software across different organizations, along with gamification.

Earning Dynamics, Azure, and Office 365 Certificates becomes more entertaining through improved training solutions. These solutions combine practical labs, video, and Microsoft Certification preparation.

Microsoft staffers around the globe weigh in on language localization. Since Microsoft has countless language localization needs, Microsoft opted for a gamified solution called the “Language quality” game. Microsoft intentionally added poor translations to check if its employees were paying attention.

Microsoft Japan actually took a company-wide day off to play the game and win the leaderboard.

Siemens

Siemens launched the Plantville game. This online gaming platform models the experience of being a plant manager. With this video game, players are faced with several obstacles that can occur when operating a plant. In the meantime, players had to improve the facility’s sustainability, efficiency, and productivity.  

Plantville is an educational, innovative, and fun way for Siemens to engage prospects, students, employees, and customers while driving awareness of Siemens’s brand and technologies. That’s because the conglomerate capitalizes on online engagement.  

On social media, Siemens constantly creates engaging content. It uses different social media networks such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. All to engage their audience.

Cisco

Cisco is a renowned technology company that uses a social media training program. 

The company relies on gamification to help employees improve their social media skills. The program uses three certification levels and four sub-certification levels or sub-specializations.

Employees can use the social media training program to leverage their skills based on their job position. For instance, HR representatives learn how to find candidates on LinkedIn. Whereas sales managers learn to convert clients on Twitter and Facebook. 

As employees level up, they earn badges, points, and other benefits.

Gamification in food & beverage

Gamification in the food industry is here to stay. Companies can use gaming concepts to attract new guests and motivate employees. This is done through a reward system, points, tasks, collecting achievements, and integrating them into the business.

KFC

When KFC Japan added shrimp to its menu, it launched a gamified campaign to create excitement. This strategy boosted brand awareness and incentivized users to try the product. In return, they would be rewarded with discount vouchers.

The gamified solution was “Shrimp Attack,” – a video game users could play to earn points and get discount vouchers. This marketing campaign hit multiple cultural points and created a lot of noise on social media sites.

The game had a staggering 91% completion rate with over 800,000 total plays. It was so effective that the product sold out due to high demand. Ultimately, the campaign was cut short to stabilize the supply and demand. Nevertheless, it offered a significant boost in-store sales compared to the previous year.

Dominos

Dominos uses gamification to decrease delivery time, increase employee engagement, and revamp the training process. Domino created the Pizza Maker course, which included gamification and simulation to reward, engage, and assess employees.

The course helped reduce onboarding time and added competitive elements that inspired other users to beat their old scores. This drove competency, speed, and accuracy, which are critical when keeping up with demand.

Starbucks

The Starbucks app’s “My Rewards program” uses gamification to boost sales and digital traffic. Users collect stars and rewards to exchange them for their favorite foods or drinks.

The bottom line

Gamification is a versatile concept that can be used across industries. It can be added to a project management app, leadership training curriculum, etc. 

Many gamification use cases have gained a lot of attention. Especially those used by renowned companies such as Dominos, KFC, Siemens, and Google.

Many businesses and senior execs are looking to use gamification in the workplace. It can promote customer and employee engagement, productivity, and motivation.

If you want to boost user experience and digital engagement through gamification, Spinify can help. We offer more than just a gamification platform – but a comprehensive solution for growing your internal partner teams and boosting success. 

Book a demo today and ensure to check our LinkedIn page for more.