The document discusses the concept of gamification in e-commerce, emphasizing the integration of game mechanics to enhance user engagement and drive sales. It warns against the overuse of points, badges, and leaderboards, which can lead to 'pointsification' and diminish brand value, while offering alternative strategies to effectively implement gamification through creative thinking. The author presents various examples and suggests that thoughtful application of these principles can yield significant returns in user retention and satisfaction.

1. Gamification in Ecommerce
Digital Sales Alchemy

2. Alchemy:
The transformation of something common
into something special.

3. Gamification:
Integrating elements of games,
concepts and motivators in games
or game design mechanics
into non-game environments to drive behavior.

4. Points, Badges and Leaderboards
aka “PBL”
can lead to “pointsification”

5. Points, Badges and Leaderboards
• not synonymous with gamification
• when done badly hurt revenues and brand
• can be appallingly overused
• try to apply cookie cutter solutions to
complex problems
• can be implemented through a variety of services
• many times are synonymous in users
heads with loyalty programs
• can be made interesting and effective and useful
if applied sparingly and creatively

6. STEP2 BUZZBOARD
Reviewers level from New Bee to Honey Bee to Super Bee to
Queen Bee as they review, post videos and photographs,
share to Facebook, and earn positive ratings from other BuzzBoard -ers.
Points earn $5 to $20 credits toward future purchases.

7. BEYOND PBL
Appointments
Avatars
Behavioral Momentum
Blissful Productivity
Bonuses
Duels
Cascading Information Theory
Challenges
Combos
Community Collaboration
Context menus
Countdown
Creating
Discovery
Easter Eggs
Epic Meaning
Free Lunch
!
Infinite Gameplay
Loader images
Levels
Loss Aversion
Lottery
Narratives
Ownership
Priming
Progression
Puzzles
Quests
Reward Schedules
Scarcity
Status
Urgent Optimism
Virality

8. Involvement creates impact.
based on Dale's Cone of Experience (Dale, 1969, p. 107)

9. Persuasion heart/desires
Usability body/actions
Engagement mind/attitudes
interaction acts as a Catalyst
users join your brands “team”

10. In Ecommerce, many of these things happen
via your website AND in social media
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First person to answer gets a +20 bonus to Salesmanship.
What are the Four Stages
of the sales cycle?
? $

11. 4 stages in game adoption cycle
!
Discovery, Onboarding, Scaffolding and Endgame
? $ !

12. 4 stages in Gamification cycle!
(the alchemy bit)
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Initiation, Realization, Transformation, Integration
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!
? !
$

13. ARCANum
!
Gamification and gaming are not the same thing.
Great gamification fuses the normal sales cycle
with appropriate game mechanics, tools or concepts
to achieve measurable goals.
!
Sometimes those methods are subtle.
!

14. Great. So I need to
hire a game designer?
(No. You just need someone who can think diagonally.)

15. You don’t have to use badges, points
and leaderboards.
Any designer or creative content provider
can implement these gamification ideas in
different aspects of the sales cycle.
Congratulations, Your Initiation as a Digital Sales Alchemist has begun.
You may leave the Noob Cave.

16. How do we do this?
Let’s look at a few examples of gamification
without overt PBL apps.*
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*These are relatively low complexity/tech

17. Persuasion
Prospects / Hey Look at This!

18. !
Discovery / Lead Generation / Initiation
Appeals to: Explorers, Achievers
SkilledUp Quizzes
Growth from 20 new email subscribers each
month to over 500 each month - a 2400% increase

19. Persuasion
Prospects / Hey, I might like this!

20. !
Quest / Prospecting / Initiation
Appeals to: Achievers, Explorers, Killers
Autodesk Free Trial
Increased trial usage by 54%,
buy clicks by 15% and channel revenue by 29%
Before
After

21. Persuasion
Customers / Hey I want to buy this!

22. !
Priming / Sales / Transformation
Appeals to: Explorers
Hubspot Loader Messages
Practiced by one of the most successful
internet marketing companies in the world, often seen in web apps

23. Persuasion
Evangelists / Hey I want to share this!

24. Discovery / Evangelization / Integration
Appeals to: Achievers, Explorers, Socializers
M&Ms Find the Pretzel
25.000 likes on their Facebook page,
6.000 shares and 10.000 comments.

25. Virality, Bonuses, Status / Evangelization / Integration
Appeals to: Socializers, Achievers, Killers
!
Rewarding Shares!
In January 2014, Dropbox raised $250 million at a $10 billion valuation.
1 billion files are saved to Dropbox every 24 hours
Over 200 million users, over 500 employees
Installed on 250 million devices

26. Usability
Leads / Hey Look at This!

27. !
Priming, Discovery / Lead Generation / Initiation
Appeals to: Socializers, Killers, Achievers, Explorers
Heinz Table Games
QR Code, prompt to enter email address, gain coupon.

28. Usability
Prospecting / Hey I Might Like This!

29. !
Cascading Information Theory / Prospecting / Realization
Appeals to: Achievers, Explorers, Killers, Socializers
JNM Menu Tunnels
250% increase in web site conversions
(phone calls/initial meetings) within 2 weeks

30. Usability
Sales / Hey I Want to Buy This!

31. !
Epic Meaning and Calling, Free Lunch / Sales / Transformation
Appeals to: Socializers, Killers, Achievers, Explorers
Amazon Smile
Incentivizes users to buy from Amazon
rather than another online retailer
by shopping from smile.amazon.com.

32. Usability
Evangelists / Hey I Want to Share This!

33. !
Levels, Status / Sales / Integration
Appeals to: Socializers, Killers, Achievers, Explorers
Ebay Seller Reviews
Encourages sellers to stay ethical and
buyers to give feedback and recommendations
(crowdsourcing content creation)

34. ARCANUM
!
Using combinations of game concepts or mechanics
at different targeted points of the sales cycle can generate
huge returns for you. These tools may or may not be recognizable as “games.”

35. Congratulations
You are now an Apprentice in Digital Sales Alchemy
tweet something you have learned to me
@redtoadmedia
First three to tweet get my gamification planning template.

36. The Next Level
Thoughtful tools to help you NOT unlock the
Mayor Badge of Meaninglessness
!
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It’s a Journey, Man.

37. HOW TO avoid pointsification
by Steve Bocska
Source: http://gamificationexamples.com/gamification-pitfalls-badge-fatigue-and-loyalty-backlash/

38. “People don't contribute because
they’re given stars by a teacher or bribed”
- can lead to gaming the system
- results in low long term retention
- achieves low quality user-generated content
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EFFECTS OF pointsification

39. 1. Know your objectives
2. Know your audience
3. Tap into intrinsic motivators for
SHARED GOALS
4. Be willing to listen and improve
how to avoid pointsification

40. it must be fun.
Sensation / Sense-pleasure
Fantasy/ Make-believe
Narrative / Unfolding story
Challenge / Obstacle course
Fellowship / Social framework
Discovery / Uncharted territory
Expression / Soap box
Submission / Mindless pastime

41. CATALYSTS (Intrinsic Motivators)
Autonomy / Give creative choices and freedom
power words: “I choose”
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Mastery / Allow for learning and overcoming adversity
power words: “I grow”
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Purpose / connect people to causes
power words: “I matter”
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42. autonomy combined with discovery
Covet Fashion App: Paper dolls

43. mastery combined with fellowship
Drop ’Til You Shop: Freeze the price and win!

44. purpose combined with fantasy
America’s Army

45. arcanum
The secret to lasting bonds
and deep impact on a person’s relationship
with your brand is the combination of
shared goals, catalysts in the form of
intrinsic motivators and old-fashioned fun.

46. ConGratulations
You now have the tools to be a
Journeyman Digital Alchemist
For a mixie game that helps you,
generate game ideas,
subscribe to my newsletter at
redtoadmedia.com/gamify

47. A GAME CAN BE YOUR VEHICLE: HSN
Home Shopping
Network Arcade
!
Over the first year,
650,000 users
logged 116 million
gameplays. Arcade
users spent twice as
long on the HSN
website, returned
twice as often, and
purchased more units
of merchandise and
in more categories
than their non-arcade
customers. #epicwin
#wordofmouthrocks

48. A GAME CAN BE YOUR VEHICLE: INGRESS
INGRESS
Mobile Augmented Reality Gaming
brings customers to you. Around 10
million downloads on Android and iOS
!
!
Partnerships with ZipCar, Hint
Water, Anker, AXA and more

49. ARCANUM
Whether you integrate your brand into a game
or use games to enhance your web presence, you can
build community, garner name recognition and
win significant market share by using a vehicle
that fits your audience.

50. Who Is Anne Miles?
- Designed a cutting edge interface for the financial services sector
- Branded, designed and developed multimillion dollar retail
ecommerce presence for brick and mortar wholesaler,
vidavici.com
- Art Director, UX team, Stonestreet One Software
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- Currently working with Indiana University Health on a gamified
admin system for updating and managing employee training
materials.
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- Contributor for Smashing Magazine’s
Navigation and Interaction design book
- Toad-in-Chief, Red Toad Media, 2001 to present
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- Global Unight16 Coordinator, Ingress Resistance
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anne@redtoadmedia.net
www.redtoadmedia.com
@redtoadmedia

51.
Thank you.
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anne@redtoadmedia.net
www.redtoadmedia.com
@redtoadmedia