BluEPrint 9: The Game Edition – Competitive Shopping, Training and Empathy in Supply Chain

Incorporating game elements engages workers and customers in an otherwise routine task. When companies create an interactive experience, people feel more connected, train better, and buy more. Whether it’s a competitive bid on eBay or understanding what it’s like to work in Amazon’s fulfillment centers, see how gamification and game-based interactions disrupt the industry.

Level up eCommerce

Game mechanics for eCommerce creates an interactive experience that hooks customers in.  The most common examples include a point system, membership levels and time-sensitive actions. From opening subscription boxes to earning rewards from referral programs, an engaging experience for the customer is key.

Take a look at how organizations engage customers for a more fun experience:

• Paying with competitive bidding: eBay allows customers to compete with each other and bargain with retailers by bidding, with the possibility of winning the deal or getting outbid last minute.
• Daily time-sensitive deals:  Woot is an online retailer that only offers one product a day at a special price. This incentivizes customers to check daily, as the item is offered in limited quantities for 24 hours.
• Crowdsourcing designs based on votes: The Lego Group launched the Lego Ideas Platform, allowing users to join an online community of nearly a million fans. They can vote on member ideas or make their own, and the most popular builds will  become products. This gives participants a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie.
• Unlock offers by ordering online: Starbucks rewards its customers for paying through their app with perks such as free in-store refills and exclusive offers. Those who order enough level up and receive a personalized gold card.

Balancing Work and Play

Games are an engaging way to address needs in the workplace, whether it’s testing knowledge or exploring concepts like IT security. Consequence games with branching storylines can also motivate employees to think critically about how to respond to stakeholders. Following the rise of gamified learning platforms like Khan Academy, here are some ways organizations can engage through gameplay:

• Leaderboard on leadership training: Deloitte Leadership Academy uses gamification principles with leaderboards and badges to give users a sense of competition and achievement. Completing missions alongside peers garnered a 37% increase in users returning to the site each week. Deloitte Insights advises organizations to use progress paths for visualizing completed tasks and next steps. This works best in tandem with another game element: social connection. Creating friendly competition improves workflow and having team support improves dialogue. Channel-based communications like Slack can help foster inclusion and eliminate toxic work culture.
• Reinforcing consistent messaging: The Coca-Cola Company uses scenario-based games to build confidence in their brand ambassadors globally. Every conversation they get right is rewarded with hearts which is converted to charitable donations.
• Uncracking the interview code: The UK government hires intelligence specialists using puzzle games to test their competency. Candidates must decipher the hidden message in order to advance to the next level and possibly get the job.

Gamification of Worker Experiences in Supply Chain

Gamification puts players in situations they would not otherwise understand, including employees dealing with customer needs and executives with employee needs. There are VR games used by the U.S. army for fighting sexual harassment. From warehouse worker to store owner, experience through these games how eCommerce is transforming employee experiences.

• American Mall – Bloomberg has gamified the experience of a landowner flipping over a mall while facing the rise of eCommerce.
• The Amazon Race – Australia’s ABC News has gamified the experience of working at an Amazon warehouse. On the other side of the spectrums, Gatehouse news has created a game from the perspective of Jeff Bezos of Amazon on shaping their new headquarters HQ2.
• The Uber Game – Financial Times has gamified the challenges of a rideshare driver in the gig economy.

Games are already helping everyday citizens understand government budgets, accessibility needs in the city and the plight of Syrian refugees. What kind of understanding could your organization benefit from gamifying?

What do you think about these topics? If you have ideas on what you’d like to see or a case study you’d like to share, let us know!