Fashion marketing has faced unique challenges. Brands must adapt to new trends, including consumer trends. It has also become complex to identify the marketing messages and channels that can effectively target customers and potential new markets.

Gamification – incorporating game-based elements into a marketing strategy – is proving to be one of the most effective ways to meet today’s challenges. It’s a way of facilitating interaction with consumers who are demanding authenticity. But gamifying your shopping experience, both online and offline, is also a way of updating your branding and modernising your image.

In this article, we’ll be looking at how fashion marketing can successfully update through gamification. We’ll look at the stages of the customer journey that can benefit from the introduction of game mechanics.

SUMMARY

• The key issues in fashion marketing
• Why gamify your fashion brand?

The purchasing behaviour of fashion consumers has changed in recent years. In particular, they have been transformed by the arrival of e-commerce, but also by the pandemic.

New players have also entered the fashion market. Those known as DNVBs (Digital Native Vertical Brands) have rapidly competed with the more established brand. They created a strong connection from the outset, with a highly engaged community of customers.

The channels through which consumers discover fashion are no longer the same. Yet fashion marketing has had to adapt to digital, and social networks. Luxury brands have undergone a major change in their branding and communication codes by moving onto media such as TikTok.

The rise of young Gen Z consumers has also reshuffled the deck. Fashion marketing that relied on inaccessible muses has given way to influencers and UGC (User Generated Content). Therefore to more authentic communication and less retouched visuals.

Inclusiveness, digitisation and data collection

The values of inclusiveness, transparency and sustainability are central to standing out from the crowd and to win consumer’s loyalty (particularly younger ones). Fashion brands need to review their production chain, but also their product range (by including unisex clothing and accessories).

Finally, the explosion of online shopping also poses challenges for fashion marketing. The introduction of an omnichannel customer journey, which can start in-store (for consideration), continue online (for purchase) and return to retail (for returns management). That involves a change in marketing paradigm.

Brands therefore need to open up to more fluid,  marketing strategies in order to adapt to these upheavals. The issue of data and audience knowledge will also be decisive in adopting a positioning. But also for an offer that is aligned with their customers’ expectations.

Gamified marketing is a strategy that involves using games to strengthen the conversion funnel. Integrating interactive and playful elements into the customer journey is a way of arousing consumer interest. Indeed it permits to effectively conveying brand values and encouraging users to move from consideration to purchase.

In a demanding sector like fashion, gamification can provide a competitive advantage that will be crucial in standing out from the crowd and encouraging consumers to buy from your brand.

Easy to integrate into the sales funnel, playable marketing addresses issues specific to fashion marketing.

Strengthen your branding

Luxury brands have understood the appeal of gamification as a way of rebranding themselves to a younger audience. They have drawn on new tools such as the metaverse and NFTs to appeal to young consumers (and even more directly to gaming fans).

Some offered digital versions of their most iconic pieces to dress up your video game avatar. Another interesting user case is the fashion shows organised in the metaverse, which have democratised events that were considered elitist. As a result, brands have been able to increase the reach and visibility of their catwalk shows.

Without using such advanced technologies, brands can reinforce their branding with low-fi gamification mechanisms such as a Wheel of Fortune. That’s the choice Kiabi has made. The fashion brand has launched an engaging campaign dedicated to highlighting its second-hand offer. The aim of the campaign was to make this offer grow and shine. But also to communicate its commitment to make fashion sustainable and socially responsible.

Boosting community involvement

Gamification is not just a way of democratising fashion marketing. On the contrary, it can be an excellent way of reinforcing a sense of belonging to an exclusive community. Kenzo gave access to its own game for limited number of its most loyal customers. 

Tape à l’Oeil, for its part, relied on playable marketing to attract new customers. For its anniversary, it set up
a 100% winning Wheel of Fortune in France and Belgium. The campaign generated 48k opt-in leads. The brand was then able to reactivate them and turn them into customers by distributing prizes.

Increase the visibility of a new collection

As already mentioned, organising fashion shows in the metaverse or through interactive video games is a way of reaching a new audience. Moreover it’s a way to boost the launch of a product or a new collection. This is what Balenciaga has done, by forming a partnership with the game Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow.

The interactive format offered by gamification allows users to discover clothes in a more immersive context. In this case, they could navigate in a virtual reality with characters dressed in the new collection.

The BZB brand also relied on playable marketing, via the Flip & Win mechanism, to launch its summer collection and generate new leads.

Increase sales through promotions

Reward systems specific to video games can be powerful conversion levers. In fashion marketing, this logically take the form of promotions, vouchers to encourage participants to place orders with the brand.

Instant Wins mecanics permite to boost a campaign’s virality. But above all, it’s about turning participants into buyers. The opportunity to win discount vouchers will generate traffic to the brand’s shop and increase sales.

Optimising qualification and collecting product preferences

Finally, gamification mechanisms such as battles and swiper ads give fashion brands a better understanding of consumer preferences. The principle of having to choose between two looks or two pieces will give valuable indications of the fashion trends to be explored. It’s also an effective way of gathering the product preferences of your audience and sending them targeted marketing campaigns (recommendations).

Conclusion

Gamification is a powerful way to promote a product, raise awareness of your company and strengthen brand memory. To boost your marketing performance, all you have to do is discover all our interactive mechanisms and customise them to suit your brand universe.