Time for retailers to start playing games Compiled by Deloitte Digital
Gamification is the way forward for retailers wanting to span the virtual and physical worlds to enhance the shopping experience of their customers, says Deloitte Digital Director, Andre Hugo.
“We believe the opportunity to make the retail experience fun, productive, rewarding, engaging and cost effective lies in using elements of game design (gamification) to engage consumers. By effectively merging mobile & digital technology with existing brick & mortar stores, retailers have a unique opportunity to span the virtual and the physical worlds to ensure their customers are given a shopping experience that encompasses the ‘best of both worlds’,” says Hugo.
Gamification.org describes gamification as typically involving the application of game design thinking to non-game applications to make them more fun and engaging. Gamification has been called one of the most important trends in technology by several industry experts and, can potentially be applied to most industries and a large percentage of business processes creating a fun and engaging experience, converting users into players and ultimately consumers.
“As internet infrastructure, downloads speeds and general access to the internet improves, shopping online is becoming easier for South African consumers. Although the shift has been subtle, taking into account the size of the South African population, more people are choosing to buy goods online. In a recent study by Arthur Goldstuck from World Wide Worx, it was highlighted that RSA E-commerce is growing at around 30 percent per year and the total internet economy, inclusive of infrastructure spend contributes around 2% of GDP and is rising by 0.1 % per year a staggering R59 billion,” says Hugo.
Hugo points out that there are three factors influencing the move from traditional retail shopping towards a more digital bias.
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