This document discusses how gamification can boost user engagement for apps. It provides examples of 7 apps that have successfully used gamification techniques: Todoist uses points and social sharing to motivate task completion; Goibibo earns users rewards they can use for travel booking; Byju's uses games and competitions to improve educational outcomes; Fitocracy provides customized workouts and rewards users with badges for achievements; Smarty Pig displays progress bars to make savings goals feel achievable; Woot creates a sense of scarcity and urgency to drive frequent user check-ins; and Starbucks rewards users with stars that can be redeemed for food and drinks to incentivize repeat purchases. The document advocates for using gamification, rewards programs, and

1. Gamification
7 Apps That
Mastered

2. Why gamification
matters to apps
Gamification is a powerful tool to acquire,
engage, and retain users. SAP found that
gamification boosts engagement
by a third, with:
• online commenting rising 13%
• social media sharing jumping 22%
• and content discovery increasing 68%.¹
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33%
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online
commenting
social
sharing
content
discover
Benefits of Gamification

3. Why gamification
matters to apps
But you don’t have to be a gaming app to
apply game tactics. Fitness apps have turned
boring jogs into a race against zombie hordes.
Productivity apps pit us against the clock to get
us to finish our to-do lists. And financial apps
have even made paying bills fun!
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4. Gamification
Right
7 Apps That Get

5. 1. Todoist: Gamification
for Productivity
About this app:
• Users track everything from major work projects to
simple household chores.
• Prompts users to complete their tasks by rewarding
them with points for every task they finish.
Takeaway:
Recognition is the best motivator. Social sharing creates a
healthy competition with friends and coworkers that inspires
users to complete their tasks, while also building
brand awareness.
About this app:

6. 2. Goibibo: Gamification
for Travel
About this app:
• Users earn GoCash when the Mumbai Indians
cricket team plays.
• GoCash can be used to book travel on Goibibo.
Takeaway:
Aim for a win-win. This strategy is beneficial to both Goibibo
and its users: the app sees increased engagement and
conversions, and users can spend GoCash to
book summer holidays.
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About this app:

7. 3. Byju’s: Gamification
for Education
About this app:
• Students master key concepts through videos,
practice tests, and adaptive modules.
• Students can play games, earn reward points, and
challenge each other through quizzes and competitions.
Takeaway:
Use gamification to improve the user experience. Tests and
quizzes allow the app to measure student performance and
evaluate how well they understand the concepts. This data
then helps the app design more modules.
New, fun and interactive
way of learning
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Follow and complete the
map to master concepts
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Engaging video lessons
from India’s best teachers
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About this app:

8. 4. Fitocracy: Gamification
for Health & Fitness
About this app:
• Health data helps create customized workouts
and nutrition plans for users.
• They’re rewarded with points and badges for
meeting achievements.
• Pits users against other fitness enthusiasts to
keep them motivated.
Takeaway:
Consider every level of user ability. By starting with simple goals,
Fitocracy keeps badges and achievements within reach for users
of all fitness levels. By rewarding users each time they unlock an
achievement, their progress becomes visible. In-app quests and
competitions with friends are also a great way to gain new users.
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About this app:

9. 5. Smarty Pig:
Gamification
for Personal Finance
About this app:
• Helps users save money by creating fiscal goals.
• Progress bar spikes as users add to their savings.
Takeaway:
Make hard-to-reach goals feel more achievable.
When users create a new goal, the SmartyPig app
displays a progress bar that shows users how their
small contributions really add up.
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About this app:

10. 6. Woot: Gamification
for Ecommerce
About this app:
• Offers a limited quantity of products at a
special sale price.
• Encourages users to race through product pages and
checkout before items sell out.
Takeaway:
Gamification can help build key user habits. By fostering
curiosity, unpredictability, and scarcity, Woot gets users to
make a daily habit out of checking the app at midnight
to snag a great deal.
WELCOME USER
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About this app:

11. 7. Starbucks:
Gamification
for Food & Delivery
About this app:
• Rewards users with stars for each order placed,
which can then be redeemed for free food and drinks.
Takeaway:
With a rewards or loyalty program, apps boost retention by
incentivizing users to return to the app to redeem points or
discounts they earned from previous orders.
WELCOME USER
WELCOME USER
About this app:

12. The Psychology of
Insanely Addictive Apps
Gamification is only the beginning. Download
our whitepaper to learn 6 powerful principles of
consumer psychology to drive long-term retention.