Purpose: As online retailing grows in importance there is increasing interest in the online customer experience. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of gamification, the use of game mechanics, in enabling consumer engagement with online retailers.Design / Methodology / Approach: The research adopts a qualitative methodology carrying out 16 in-depth interviews with individuals who are frequent online shoppers. Findings:Findings support the importance of including game elements to enhance the retail experience. However, data also suggests that without appropriate management customers can subvert gamification strategies to create their own 'games', increasing competitive pressure between retailers.Practical Implications: The paper suggests ways in which retailers might successfully 'gamify' their online retail stores and reduce incidences of undesirable customer behaviour.Originality / value: This paper provides empirical support to the current paucity of research into the role of gamification in the context of the online retail experience.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.