Brands: Why you need to test gamification strategies now

Researchers found:

• 53% of survey respondents believe gamification will grow quickly
• 42% say gamification will grow but only in specific circles

Reports from both Gartner and Deloitte predict that upwards of half of 'corporate innovation' will be gamified by 2015.

"Gamification may be the most important social and commercial development of the next fifty years. Commercially, we may be seeing the end of the marketing orientation, possibly marking the beginning of the 'game orientation'," said Ross Rader, general manager at Hover and board member of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority. "This will touch all aspects of the organization as it is applied to sales, production, management, and other areas of commercial practice. Socially, gamified technology will evolve and humanize many of the artificial interactions we currently endure--check-in's, like's, shares, and their kin will all 'just work' and drive new waves of innovation in our technology."

Pew Research suggests that because interactions like badges and retweets as well as rewards like discounts and coupons are largely gamified already there isn't far to go for even more game-like interactions.

What is it about gamification? The report notes that gamification encourages certain behaviors and offers fast rewards for tasks completed. These types of interactions are likely to build a consumer's engagement with the process as well as offer them engaging content.

Tags: ecommerce trends, gamification, Pew Research, social marketing trends