Gamification in E-Commerce to Boost Sales: Trends, Ideas, Top Retail Examples
Gamification in e-commerce is no longer just a trend — it’s a proven marketing strategy to optimize your store’s performance and boost online sales. By adding interactive elements to your site, you can turn routine customer journeys into engaging experiences that drive more conversions, improve retention, and increase average order value.
For online retailers and digital marketers, gamified website elements like spin-to-win wheels or scratch cards aren’t just fun — they’re effective conversion tools. A study among online customers revealed the following algorithm: gamification affects customer satisfaction, satisfaction generates brand love, and brand love evokes the desired customer behaviors.
In this article, we’ll break down how to use gamification as part of your ecommerce marketing toolkit. You’ll discover proven tactics, step-by-step guidance, and real-world examples of how brands are using gamification for websites to power up their e-commerce marketing strategies.
What is Gamification in E-commerce
E-commerce gamification is the use of game-inspired elements, like rewards, challenges, progress bars, and surprises, to increase shopper engagement and conversion rates. This approach is a part of a broader trend in gamification in marketing, which focuses on using game-like experiences to drive engagement and loyalty.
From an e-commerce business perspective, gamification supports core marketing objectives: improving lead capture, encouraging upsells, lowering abandonment, and keeping customers engaged throughout their journey. Gamification in e-commerce helps brands differentiate themselves in a crowded digital market while enhancing the overall customer experience, as supported by the abovementioned study.
Whether you're running a Shopify store, a WooCommerce setup, or a custom-built website, gamified elements can be integrated with minimal effort and a clear impact on key performance metrics.
Benefits of E-commerce Gamification
Interactivity, excitement, and pleasant rewards are just a few reasons why gamification marketing appeals to shoppers. As discussed in our article on how gamification in marketing works, its true strength lies in strategically influencing consumer behavior and encouraging brand loyalty through psychological triggers.
Customer Relationships
The study showed that properly implemented gamification on websites and other digital platforms increases customer interest in products and services and draws them closer to your brand. By integrating game elements inspired by popular video games, such as systems where customers earn points, brands create an enjoyable experience that customers associate with positive emotions. This association builds a strong foundation for long-term customer relationships.
Customer Engagement
An extensive analysis of empirical literature has shown that gamification in e-commerce increases consumer engagement by leveraging game mechanics, particularly reward systems. If a customer has a choice of simply buying in an ecommerce store or buying and receiving a specific incentive for this (gift, points, etc.), they are more likely to choose the second option. Thus, gamifying their experience can motivate them to choose your brand over competitors.
Sales Growth
According to a ReflectDigital survey, 84% of respondents are interested in buying from a brand that offers them a gamified experience, and 61% are willing to become regular customers of such brands. Thus, using gamification for ecommerce helps encourage customers to engage more deeply and increase customer loyalty by stimulating repeat sales rather than just one-time purchases.
Customer Retention
Given all the above points, we can say that gamification in e-commerce contributes to customer retention. Specifically, gamification techniques like loyalty points, badges, and other game elements create a sense of achievement that motivates customers to return to a website and engage with the brand more frequently. Implementing effective gamification strategies in your marketing not only encourages loyal customers to earn rewards but also helps convert potential customers into repeat buyers. After all, retaining a client will cost you 5 times less than attracting a new one, and the chances of selling something to existing customers are several times higher than to prospects.
How to Use Gamification in eCommerce to Drive Sales
The introduction of gamification in ecommerce is a strategy that requires careful preparation, consistency, and a comprehensive approach. Otherwise, the promised benefits of gamification may pass you by. To help you get started, we've prepared a short to-do list.
Explore Your Audience
Gamification in e-commerce works great only if it resonates with the target audience. The leading proponents of gamification are representatives of Gen Z and late Millennials (born in the 1990s). They grew up with high-speed technology and are more digitally savvy than anyone else. According to some studies, games are essential to Gen Z's identity. Therefore, if the age of your target audience falls between 18 and 34 years old, your gamification has every chance of success.
It is also essential to consider that the ease of use of games decreases with age; accordingly, the older your audience, the more straightforward the gamification format and detailed explanations you should provide.
Determine the Type of Gamification
In fact, this point follows from the previous one. Different types of games attract different players. Therefore, your target audience's interests, values, and motivations matter. According to research and Bartle's taxonomy, players are divided into four types:
- Achievers. The primary motivator of achievers is recognition. About 40% consider themselves to be this type. If your customers are also among them, gamification should include loyalty programs with different levels, virtual prizes, premium packages, or exclusive status-oriented features.
- Explorers. As the name suggests, these guys love to explore the unknown and discover something new. 50% of players are considered explorers. Gamification in e-commerce can attract them through unlocking new product features, searching for tips, or trying out products in action.
- Killers. It is vital for killers not just to win but to see others lose. Their primary motivator is competition. They only make up 20% of the audience, but if your gamification is aimed at them, use leaderboards, progress tracking, or contests.
- Socializers. It is the most popular type, which includes 80% of people. They also love recognition, but when it comes from other players. To engage them, gamification in e-commerce must offer social interaction. For example, you can develop a community within your loyalty program, suggest sharing content or achievements, and promote hashtags on social networks, among other strategies.
These types can coincide or overlap; therefore, your game can satisfy different motives. For example, your audience can explore your brand and receive rewards or points for using new products or services. To dive deeper into user motivation and engagement tactics, check out our article on gamification on website.
Set Clear Goals
You don't need to add gamification to your website just to be trendy and follow in the footsteps of other online retailers. Instead, analyze why your business really needs it: what problems it solves, what opportunities it provides, and so on.
Besides, clearly defining the goal allows you to understand which gamification will work best. For example, the point system works great to stimulate repeat purchases, quizzes enable you to get to know customers better and develop personalized offers, and hashtags and contests help increase brand awareness.
Finally, only with a goal can you determine key success indicators and understand whether gamification delivers the desired results.
Outline Your Game
Gamification in e-commerce should include four key aspects:
- Trigger. It is what essentially motivates your target audience to play your game. Therefore, you can focus on the main motives of the players described above.
- Investment. Any engaging game requires players to invest time and effort. Your task is to maintain the optimal level of difficulty. If it requires almost no investment, your customers will quickly lose interest. If, on the contrary, it includes too many challenges, they may doubt their abilities and give up.
- Actions. Consider the customer's journey in your game and decide what steps they should take to succeed. Recent statistics show that 50% of customers abandon brand loyalty programs because earning rewards takes too long, and 27% complain that it is too challenging. Therefore, make sure that customers understand the rules of your game and can follow them seamlessly.
- Reward. Contrary to the popular stereotype, rewards are not limited to points, discounts, etc. This is what a customer gets in return for playing your game, for example, a customized product in exchange for completing a detailed questionnaire about their preferences. The main rule is that this reward must be consistent with your brand's values and the audience's interests and justify the time and effort customers put into the game.
Promote Your Game
It is an essential step for two reasons. First, if you just add gamification to your website and no one knows about it, all your efforts may be in vain. Second, the audience will not rush to play overnight — you need to talk about the benefits, explain the game's rules, and instill the habit of interacting with your brand.
You can promote your innovation through available communication channels. For example, you can tell your existing customers about it through an email campaign or stir up prospects' interest through social networks. The optimal solution is to lure people into the game directly on your website. It is possible with Claspo's catchy pop-ups. You can place them on your homepage and show them to all visitors. These pop-ups can redirect the audience to the desired pages or invite them to sign up (if your gamification is a multi-level loyalty program or real-time competitions, for example).
8 Best Retail Examples of eCommerce Gamification in Action
The benefits of gamification have long been known, and therefore, this technique is widely used by both market leaders and small businesses. The gamification e-commerce examples below differ in concept, goals, and cost, but they all make the customer’s experience memorable.
1. Lego
One of the most impressive ecommerce gamification examples comes from the Lego website.
When you enter the website, you are greeted with a content-blocking pop-up that prompts you to either proceed to regular shopping or play around a bit. If you choose the latter, you find yourself in a universe that is not inferior to Marvel in terms of excitement and diversity of characters. All visitors can find free games with different themes, storylines, and characters. All game characters are presented as Lego minifigures, allowing prospects to see and try them before purchasing.
Such gamification requires a lot of effort, and therefore, Lego diligently promotes its playground on different pages using built-in widgets. And not in vain. 36% of customers prefer gamification, which allows them to try products or see them in action. So, after another exciting online game with Lego minifigures, purchase intentions may skyrocket.
2. Woot
The Woot online store offers shoppers a new product daily at a good discount. The quantity of goods is always limited, and the discount is valid only until midnight (or while supplies last).
What's the game here?
- Site visitors never know what product will be presented at a discount next time,
- They have limited time to make a purchase,
- They understand that other shoppers can get ahead of them, and the product will sell out.
This game appeals to the fear of missing out (FOMO), which is proven to be the driver of impulse buying. Customers understand that with every minute of reflection, their chances of purchasing a product at a favorable price decrease; therefore, they must either act now or regret the missed opportunity later. When a customer misses several such opportunities, their excitement and interest grow. As a result, they regularly come to the Woot website at the start of the next sale with the clear intention of getting a good deal this time.
You can implement similar gamification for websites with Claspo. You can create a pop-up with your limited-time offer and post it on your homepage. To boost customers' FOMO, choose one of our ready-made templates with a countdown timer or easily drag and drop the timer into your pop-up layout in our editor.
3. eBay
eBay auctions are among the successful gamification e-commerce examples with competitive and social aspects.
Each auction lasts from 1 to 10 days, and during this time, shoppers place bids on the desired product, trying to outbid each other. Each customer places a bid, that is, indicates the maximum amount they are willing to pay for this product. When someone else bids more, eBay notifies them via email and offers to raise the bid. For convenience and time-saving for gambling shoppers, eBay offers automatic bidding, which increases the bid instead of the customer until the amount reaches the specified limit. However, many avid shoppers still want to manage the process themselves.
What's the result? Constantly checking the inbox for emails from eBay, the desire to beat other buyers, and tracking auction results — maximum user engagement!
4. Starbucks
Earning points is one of the most effective gamification e-commerce examples. First, it is the preferred way to "play" with the company for 48% of shoppers. Second, rewards are the best incentive for 37.5% of customers to use a loyalty program.
Starbucks uses points to attract customers to its loyalty program and promote its branded app. Every time customers pay with a digital card in the mobile app, they get stars (i.e., points) that they can redeem for a free drink or meal on their next visit. The more stars, the more attractive goodies they can get. Needless to say, such a reward system motivates customers to choose Starbucks repeatedly and brings the company about half of its total revenue.
If you decide to repeat the success of Starbucks, you need to promote your loyalty program among your audience. The easiest way is to add a catchy Claspo pop-up to your ecommerce site. This pop-up could invite them to sign up for your loyalty program, redirect them to a details page, or encourage them to download your app (similar to Starbucks). Claspo already has a successful case of increasing product downloads by 48% and will do the same for you.
5. Temu
Temu marketplace offers a unique loyalty program called TEMU Allowance, which rewards customers not only for purchases but for other actions on the platform. For each action, they receive an allowance which they can use to reduce prices on future purchases.
TEMU Allowance belongs to those gamification e-commerce examples that reward even for trifles, but this simple path to rewards involves even more. For example, the initial registration or download of the application is valued at a $3 allowance, daily login to your account brings a $0.3 allowance (or $10 per month), filling out an account is $1, the first purchase allows you to earn $5, and each subsequent purchase earns 1% of the total amount.
Thus, Temu provides a gamified experience, encourages interaction with the platform daily, and, of course, does a great job of retaining customers.
6. Casper
Among the top gamification in e-commerce examples is Casper’s quiz — a short, six-question journey that helps customers find the mattress that fits them best.
It is one of the gamification e-commerce examples aimed at increasing brand awareness because customers learn more about the company’s products at the end of the quiz. Given that the displayed options correspond to their needs, the likelihood of a purchase increases significantly. Besides, according to the survey, quizzes and questionnaires are the favorite way of gamification for a quarter of shoppers — minimal effort and maximum benefit. A good solution by Casper is to add a progress bar to their quiz. It keeps customers motivated and clearly shows how many steps are left until the reward (the list of the best products in this case).
With Claspo, you can place your short quiz directly on the pop-up or use the pop-up to promote your quiz and redirect site visitors to the appropriate page. You can also collect email addresses to send quiz results to users' inboxes. This way, you will expand your mailing list and be able to send personalized offers to customers. Meanwhile, 83% are willing to share their data for a personalized experience.
7. HSN
HSN is a large shop-at-home television network and a pioneer in e-commerce. They directly broadcast a YouTube live stream on their website to bring interactive broadcast shopping to life. During this stream, they review products, discuss exclusive offers, etc. HSN gamifies the shopper experience by allowing them to check a program guide, pause and play videos, see recently streamed products, and quickly purchase them.
Yes, this format may seem outdated to some, but do not underestimate the power of video in general. A recent survey of marketers found that video increases time on site, traffic, sales, and return on their investment. So, you can focus on HSN as one of the gamification e-commerce examples and modernize their idea on your website.
Claspo allows you to add a YouTube video to your pop-up and redirect customers to the product pages or categories described in this video. These could be your best sellers or items on sale.
8. M&M's
One of the most striking gamification in ecommerce examples comes from M&M's.
Shoppers with a sweet tooth can personalize every detail of their order — from the candy’s color and text to clipart, images, and packaging. With the help of a progress bar, customers can track what level of the game (that is, customization) they are at right now, but the process is so exciting that no one strives to complete it as quickly as possible.
Yes, this kind of gamification for websites is expensive, but your expenses can pay off in full in the future. 36% of customers want customized products. At the same time, they are willing to wait longer for them and pay, on average, 20% more. As a bonus, 35% of shoppers consider product customization the best type of gamification. Thus, increased sales, unprecedented customer engagement, and a jump in the average session duration on your website are guaranteed.
How Retail Gamification Trends Shape the Future of E-commerce
The gamification market is predicted to grow to $96.3 billion in the forecast period from 2023 to 2030. Meanwhile, the highest CAGR of gamification is expected in retail and e-commerce due to its effectiveness in increasing sales, engagement, and brand loyalty.
One of the leading market trends will be the adoption of AR and VR for gamification on websites and creating immersive shopping experiences. And this is not surprising. The use of these technologies has already made a difference in e-commerce:
- Shopify reports that online stores using 3D content see an average 94% increase in conversions
- 7 out of 10 main drivers of purchasing intent are AR features such as visualization and try-on.
- 61% of customers prefer to buy from retailers that provide AR experiences.
Gamification for Websites with Claspo
Claspo makes it easy to turn casual visitors into engaged subscribers and customers. Our gamification widgets are fully customizable, brand-ready, and triggered by real-time user behavior, so they work when your visitors are most likely to convert.
Here are Claspo’s top-performing gamification tools:
Spin-the-Wheel
The absolute leader among Claspo’s gamification widgets. Spin-to-win campaigns consistently drive high engagement. Our data among users states that it delivers an impressive 22% average opt-in conversion rate at scale.
Visitors get to spin a digital wheel for a chance to win discounts, free gifts, or exclusive deals. All they have to do is enter their email to play, making it a win-win for both the user and your CRM.
Pick a Box
Our second most-used gamified widget. Similar to a shell game, visitors choose from a selection of mystery boxes, each hiding a unique reward.
This simple mechanic turns email capture into a fun, curiosity-driven experience, especially effective during seasonal campaigns like Black Friday, holiday sales, or product launches. Marketers say these experiences double engagement rates, and 73% of respondents associate it with repeated visits to the site and multiple impressions.
Embedding this pop-up comes down to a simple copy-paste of the script. If you want to add gamification to your website quickly and effectively, explore Claspo’s collection of ready-made gamification templates for websites designed to increase user engagement and sales.
Scratch Card
Rounding out the top three is the scratch card — a digital version of the classic lottery ticket.
Users “scratch” to reveal a prize hidden underneath, such as a coupon or free shipping offer. Since gamified pop-ups can convert four times better than static ones, it’s a great way to surprise your visitors while encouraging them to opt in.
Why Claspo?
If you're looking for a gamification tool that’s quick to set up, easy to scale, and built for ecommerce, Claspo delivers. Our widgets don’t just collect emails, they make shopping interactive, fun, and more likely to convert. Whether you're running a seasonal promo or looking to boost lead capture, reduce abandonment, or simply make your site more engaging, Claspo gives you the tools to make it fun, effective, and on-brand.
