The Enthusiast’s Guide to Gamification in Fashion
What can Fashion learn from Video games?
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I recently logged into my account on a fashion retailer’s site, where I saw that I had gained 60 out of 250 points and needed to shop a certain amount more to reach 100 points.
There was a progress bar and everything. Apparently, I’d win a private membership to the brand once I achieve the 250 points.
Kid you not, I considered making the expenditure without even knowing what a private membership would mean!
That’s gamification for you.
What is Gamification?
The essence of gamification lies in bringing ‘gaming elements’ to non-gaming activities.
From us collecting points on our brand loyalty program cards to checking our worldwide ranking on running apps or perhaps learning apps like Duolingo, gamification brings features such as leaderboards, rankings, points into daily life.
It acts as a key motivator and engages consumers into activities that they wouldn’t otherwise do, due to lack of incentive.
Why does Gamification work?
As Yu-kai Chou rightly says,
Games have no other purpose than to please the individual playing them. Yes, there are often “objectives” in games, such as killing a dragon or saving the princess, and sometimes saving a dragon, but those are all excuses to simply keep the player happily entertained.
Since games have spent decades (or even centuries depending on how you qualify a game) learning how to master motivation and engagement, we are now learning from games, and that is why we call it Gamification.
Basically, games, particularly video games, bring out some very intrinsic, raw human emotions & desires in all of us. Socialising, competing, achieving, expressing, winning and progressing are some examples.
Just like how nervous responses such as pain when we touch a hot object make us lift our hand right off, these emotions & desires subconsciously & consciously drive us to take action & encourage activity.
Businesses, especially Marketers across the world have been capitalising on the same for decades.
And that’s got me wondering, what’s Fashion doing about it?
Gamification in Fashion
Video games in fashion have been a trend for more than half a decade now and I won’t get into them here since they’re the obvious tangent. Aside from Fashion’s direct participation in video games, there’s a lot more to learn from.
Fashion is and always has been highly human-focused. It is personal, subjective and each individual understands it in their own unique way. Brands in the industry, therefore, need to emphasise “Human Focused Design”.
What is Human Focused Design? Such design takes into account and caters for the sensibilities, unpredictabilities and simple factors that make us humans; Emotions, Individuality, Independance, Fears, Motivations etc.
Based on his study of gamification & behavioural patterns, Yu-kai Chou came up with an 8-tier model called the ‘Octalysis Model’. The Octalysis model features the 8 core motivation drivers among human beings.
Given what we can understand from the model and general principles of gamification, here is a breakdown of what role gamification & technology can play in the present and future of the Fashion/Beauty industries.
Second-Hand + Sharing Economy
Drivers at play:
- Epic Meaning
- Development & Accomplishment
Consumers need to step out of their comfort zone and take extra steps today to participate in the second-hand revolution. Both, donating as well as procuring second-hand clothing isn’t yet seamless.
Using techniques of gamification for them could encourage involvement by consumers.
💡 Idea: One way of ‘gamifying’ this using tech would be to facilitate consumers to keep track of all the clothing they own and tracking how much they are worn. Clothing that isn’t getting worn should be pointed out to users on mobile apps/personal accounts. These could be sold second hand/returned to the brand in exchange for points, rank boosts or special opportunities; therefore raising proactivity and pushing consumers beyond their comfort zone.
NFTs + Virtual Clothing
Drivers at play:
- Ownership & Possession
- Social Influence & Relatedness
- Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback
I truly believe that virtual clothing could have a substantial impact on clothing consumption if marketed efficiently. A big part of our closets is often filled with clothing that was part of a fad (short-lived trend) and therefore, no longer relevant.
Virtual clothing, shareable on social media, with life-like appearance, personalisation, variety and versatility could help quench some of the thirsts for these fad fashions and reduce actual purchases made.
This can be gamified using digital avatars that have customisable branded clothing options. Brands or other companies can also empower consumers to convert and sell their creations as NFTs, while gaining benefits & advantages on behalf of the brand while doing so.
This could also contribute to the organic, word-of-mouth marketing for younger brands.
Limited Editions
Drivers at play:
- Scarcity & Impatience
- Unpredictability & Curiosity
Gamifying how consumers reach limited edition clothing could allow brands to get to know users better. Having consumers engage in activities like giving feedback, reviewing products, pitching ideas could be used to give them an edge on notification & reception regarding limited-edition drops.
The service here goes both ways. Brands find a way to keep users constantly engaged and increase awareness & understanding while consumers feel challenged and excited to win and achieve something.
The above are just a few ways that I can envision gamification & tech joining hands in the fashion industry!
What other ways do you think Gamification can be used?
Feel free to write to me!
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