Gen Z, short for Generation Z, is one of the most powerful consumer groups. Their estimated spending power reached over $360 billion in disposable income last 2022.
Moreover, they’ll make up around 30% of the global workforce by 2025. Businesses need to start engaging these consumers early on if they want to keep up with their growth.
However, Gen Z consumers aren’t as brand loyal as previous generations were. Even worse, they’re fickle, finicky, and always looking for something better. For marketers, the challenge is how best to engage this demographic while understanding their needs, wants, and preferences. The good news is that gamifying their experience can help!
Gamification applies game-like elements, such as points, badges, leaderboards, and rewards, to a non-gaming environment. It makes an otherwise dull experience more engaging, increasing customer engagement and satisfaction, brand loyalty, customer brand lifetime value (CLV), sales conversion rates (SCR), and even employee retention.
This article will explore five tips to help brands successfully engage Generation Z consumers through gamification.
Turn Social Media Into a Game
Brands can use gamification to create a social media game. This can be done by creating a leaderboard, where users earn points for their actions and gain achievements for reaching certain milestones. They can also add challenges that engage your audience or offer rewards for participation, such as special offers.
For example, brands can create an engaging experience through competitions or challenges on their Facebook page. Additionally, they can offer prizes like discounts or freebies as rewards for customers who reach certain milestones.
The goal here is to encourage users to participate and engage with your brand on social media channels, increasing engagement with the brand overall. Plus, the more committed the users to the game, the more likely they’ll become loyal customers and purchase from you in real life or online.
Make Products More Interactive Using Technology
Technology is already used in many ways within the retail industry, but it can also make your products more interactive. Technology can help you create an experience for people that feels more personal and allows them to participate in creating their products.
For example, some online retailers allow customers to customize their products before ordering them, so they get what they want. Another example is setting up a QR code on the menu that links directly to a game where people can win free food.
Another way to leverage this idea is by creating an entirely new product designed specifically for Gen Zers. In other words, it’s a product dubbed “millennial-proof.” For example, if you’re selling clothes online, consider adding a virtual fitting room where customers can virtually try on clothes in real time before buying them.
Establish a Competitive Brand and Promote It
Gamification is a great way to promote your brand. It can motivate your consumers to take action and begin engaging with your company and its products. However, it’s important to remember that gamification isn’t just about point systems and achievements—it’s also about creating a competitive brand identity. Start by understanding your business as an organization, then find ways to promote this through gamification.
For example, your brand’s primary selling points are reliability or quality service (instead of price). In this case, consider implementing systems that reward customers for paying attention to these aspects of your business model rather than focusing on those who buy from you out of habit or convenience alone.
In addition, gamification offers a business and its SEO team an opportunity to conduct outreach in a non-sales way. However, this can be tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Hence, it’s recommended to ask for help from a local SEO agency. For example, if you’re in Alexandria, Australia, connect with the best SEO specialists in Sydney. It’s better to ask for help from local SEO agencies because they better understand your brand’s target market and niche market in the regional community.
Hold Exciting and Engaging Events
Event marketing can be a great way to engage your target audience and make them feel part of something special. Whether it’s a live event like an expo, conference, trade show, or a digital event (like a live stream or webinar), creating an event that’s engaging, interactive, fun, and promotes your brand can go a long way toward connecting with the Gen Z consumer base.
Moreover, consider hosting an event where you have some “physical game” in which players compete against each other for prizes by using their skills in digital gaming (or whatever else).
For example, it could be as simple as hosting a bracket-style tournament where teams vie for top honors over several rounds. It can also be as elaborate as turning your storefront into an interactive experience that engages shoppers on all levels through fun games, challenges, and prizes.
Reward Users With Real Money and Prizes
Offering users the chance to win real money and prizes can be a powerful motivator for incentivizing them to complete a task. Many organizations, including Coca-Cola, have used this technique, which rewards users with free soda when they unlock enough points in the app.
Companies can also incentivize users to complete specific tasks by giving away prizes like gift cards every week or month. This gamification strategy works exceptionally well with loyalty programs that reward members for regularly using their products, such as Amazon Prime.
Final Thoughts
Gamification motivates Gen Zers by using their instincts for competition, making games more social, and providing rewards for participation. However, brands should implement the right strategy to capitalize on Gen Z’s unique characteristics; otherwise, they’ll lose money instead of making some. Ultimately, test and iterate the approach before rolling out any major campaigns.
