Gamification has attracted considerable practitioner attention and has become a viable tactic for influencing behavior, boosting innovation, and improving marketing outcomes across industries. Simultaneously, studies on the use of gamification techniques have emerged in diverse fields, including computer science, education, and healthcare. Despite the broad popularity of gamification in other fields, it has received only limited attention in the service literature. Moreover, the findings of extant studies on gamification in the service field are inconclusive and suggest an incomplete understanding of the employment of gamification in service contexts. Thus, this study aims to integrate the growing but scattered cross-disciplinary literature on gamification and to emphasize its relevance to service research. Specifically, we first conceptualize gamification for service and differentiate it from related concepts. Then, using a systematic literature review, we identify 34 empirical articles that reflect this gamification conceptualization and can be connected to relevant service research themes (e.g., customer participation, experience, and loyalty). Employing activity theory, we derive four higher-order functions of gamification: production, consumption, exchange, and distribution. Finally, we develop a research agenda to generate a better understanding of the central aspects within each of the identified gamification functions and stimulate future academic efforts on gamification in services.

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Digital technology is an integral part of today's healthcare, yet little is known about how these technologies affect healthcare customers’ experience. This study uses regulatory focus theory to understand how consumers’ role clarity, perceived usefulness, ease of use (i.e., promotion orientation), security, and trust (i.e., prevention orientation) when using digital health technology affect their experience. A nationwide study shows that customer experience is driven by promotion- and prevention-related variables concurrently. Results also show that customer experience with digital health technology positively affects customers’ attitudes toward using digital technology. This study offers valuable insights for marketers, technology developers, and healthcare managers interested in understanding and improving healthcare customer experience.