Gamification for the employer brand

Gamification for the employer brand

These days, it’s increasingly difficult to find qualified profiles to strengthen your teams, but also to retain talent within your company. It is therefore crucial for organisations to strengthen their employer brand, not only to boost their attractiveness to candidates, but also to better engage and retain their employees.

Gamification is a tool that can help create a strong employer brand, at every stage of the employee experience. In this article, we share with you some best practices and concrete use cases for gamifying your employer brand and responding to the HR challenges you are currently facing.

What is an employer brand?

Simply put, employer branding is the way companies present themselves to their employees. While a company’s brand image is primarily designed for and communicated to its customers, its employer brand is also aimed at its employees and the talented people who might consider joining its teams.

It is therefore an organisation’s unique value proposition
as a recruiter and an employer. An employer brand includes a range of very tangible elements, such as the conditions and benefits that the company offers its employees (salary policy, financial and intangible bonuses, etc.). But it also includes more intangible elements, such as the company culture, the values espoused by the organisation and its employees, the career prospects for both the company and its employees, etc.

The employer brand is also built around the image that the company conveys through different
communication tools (career page, LinkedIn profile, presence at trade fairs). But it is also co-constructed by all employees, past, present and future. This involves feedback that they share via their own networks or with a wider audience (on a site such as Glassdoor, for example, but also via their LinkedIn profile, etc.)

Why consolidate your employer brand?

The employer brand is a key element in a company’s ability to grow in the long term. The stronger the employer brand, the more likely it will be to attract, engage and retain the best performers in its teams.

Building your employer brand means you can :

  • Optimise your talent acquisition strategy. The employer brand helps to attract, engage and retain the most talented people. Not only will talent be more likely to apply to a company that enjoys a good reputation as an employer. But they will also be more motivated to give their best to the organisation and will tend to see themselves as long-term employees.

  • Ensure its financial stability. Recruitment is a major expense for companies. In the same way, high staff turnover and positions left vacant for too long can have a negative impact on an organisation’s profitability. The ability to attract and retain the best talent is therefore crucial to productivity and growth.

  • Consolidate your brand image. A company’s ability to offer its employees good working conditions is just as important to its customers. Consumers value responsible brands that respect people, starting with their employees.

Why gamify your employer brand?

Gamification, or the introduction of playful elements into a context not traditionally associated with games, is an excellent way of consolidating your employer brand. Here are 3 concrete steps (awareness, acquisition and retention) where this strategy can be a winner.

1. Gamification to develop an attractive employer brand

In the same way that gamification can be used by brands to raise their profile with potential customers, it is also an excellent way of capturing and retaining the attention of talented people. By introducing playful elements into its communication materials, a company can communicate more effectively with candidates and convey its values and messages in an impactful way.

Gamification offers a multitude of mechanisms for conveying information to your target audience, via an interactive quiz, for example. An interactive approach ensures that your audience will pay closer attention and retain the message better.

For example, many talented young people want to work for companies that share their values. Gamification can be used to communicating and reinforcing the employer’s unique value proposition with candidates. By opting for a Quiz or a Battle, the organisation can communicate its commitments (on work-life balance, sustainable development, diversity and inclusiveness) in a fun and memorable way.

2. Gamification to optimise your recruitment process

Gaming can also enable employers to break traditional recruitment codes. For example, organisations can attract talent by sharing gamified job offers. Instead of listing the requirements and tasks of the position to be filled, companies can use gamification to create immersive offers that highlight their internal culture and values.

By offering a personality test, recruiters can share their expectations in an original way and filter more effectively the profiles that do and don’t suit them. As well as simply standing out from the crowd, gamification is also a profitable strategy for optimising the candidate selection process. Companies can use interactive and fun formats to more effectively identify profiles that match their needs, for example through gamified assessments.

Rather than relying solely on traditional methods (such as tests or job interviews), the organisation can also offer immersive experiences (role-playing, interactive investigations such as escape games). Combined with traditional assessment tools, these enable us to measure candidates’ potential in action more accurately. But they can also be used to assess less tangible skills (such as soft skills like teamwork, empathy, creativity, etc.).

Example: The Bizzbee video competition

The Bizzbee brand proposed a simple challenge: submit your application on video, as originally as possible, and post it on the social networks to gather as many votes as possible from the Bizzbee community. The prize was a CM internship in the social media team and a great atmosphere guaranteed.

BZB challenge

3. Games as a means of engaging and motivating employees

Gamification is also a particularly effective way of engaging employees and building loyalty. In this way, employers can gamify their internal development processes, along the lines of their loyalty programmes. This system, which can include elements such as points and levels, will make it possible to offer teams greater recognition, reward them for their achievements and give them a transparent view of their career development possibilities.

Edutainment, or learning by playing, also shows the relevance of integrating gamification into vocational training.Employees gain skills while having fun, and have the feeling that they are growing with the company. But games can also be used to celebrate the organisation’s high points (anniversaries, new product launches) and to unite teams around fun experiences ( sports games, creative competitions, solidarity challenges, etc.

Example: DPD’s Catch All for the Davis Cup

DPD has set up a ‘Catch-all’ game
to engage and motivate its employees during the Davis Cup. It was a great success, with over 6,000 games played. The operation was a resounding success, with over 6,000 games played, reinforcing internal cohesion and enthusiasm around this sporting event.

DPD catch all
DPD - catch all employer brand

Conclusion

Gamifying your employer brand is an excellent way of boosting your company’s appeal and better engaging your candidates and employees. Discover
our catalogue of playful mechanisms to optimise your employer value proposition and consolidate your internal culture!

In 30 minutes, we show you how to launch your own high-performance interactive marketing campaign

Online surveys: 5 examples of successful interactive campaigns

Online surveys: 5 examples of successful interactive campaigns

To offer relevant products/services and an unforgettable experience, retailers need to understand what motivates their audience. This is a challenge facing marketers.

And yet, online surveys are very simple data collection tools. In this article, we present 5 scenarios in which online surveys can make all the difference to a brand’s marketing strategy.

1. Create interactive surveys to refine your customer knowledge

Surveys provide a better understanding of customer behaviour. They help companies to gather data about their audience. They are useful for collecting product preferences or analysing purchasing habits.

The aim of the survey: To create personas and/or segment your audience.

Example of a survey: ‘What criterion counts most in your purchasing decision?’ or ‘How often do you buy X type of product?

The benefits of the survey: it allows you to adapt your offer and communication to meet the needs of your target audience.

Use case: Club Med’s ‘Which destination is right for you?’ campaign attracted a large number of visitors. The online surveys generated a flow of new leads and opt-ins, thanks in particular to the targeting of the Adictiz Ads campaign. Thanks to an optimised game path, Club Med was able to qualify these leads by collecting data such as the most liked resort.

Club med - swiper interactive polls

2. Qualify prospects with online surveys

To optimise their marketing efforts, brands need to identify leads that have a high probability of converting.

Surveys enable prospects to be filtered and segmented according to their interest in an offer or their position in the buying journey. This format therefore helps companies to identify (on the basis of the responses submitted) qualified leads. They will be able to focus their efforts on users who have a chance of making a purchase or whose average basket will be the highest.

The aim of the survey: to prioritise sales actions and personalise the approach (to improve retargeting campaigns).

Example survey: ‘What budget do you allocate to this type of product?’ or ‘What are your current challenges?’

The benefits of the survey: Rate each prospect according to their potential LifeTime Value and facilitate conversion by understanding prospects’ expectations.

Use case: Leroy Merlin’s ‘Renovation’ campaign collected leads (via the creation of customer accounts) by qualifying them. The mechanism used was a Swiper, which invited users to choose between several project proposals. Each lead was segmented according to their purchasing intentions (kitchen, bathroom, decorating preferences). The brand was able to send personalised offers tailored to the needs of the participants.

Leroy Merlin - swiper online surveys

3. Boost brand awareness via a digital survey

The survey can be used as a communication tool to increase visibility and reach a wider audience. By publishing the results of its survey, the brand positions itself as an expert and engages its community.

The aim of the survey: to create content and share useful insights.

Example of a survey: ‘70% of consumers prefer fair trade products’ (result of a study carried out by the company).

The benefits of the survey: Improve your brand image and attract the attention of the media and prospective customers by highlighting the relevance of your positioning.

Use case: The Nouvelle-Aquitaine region launched a Swiper competition to promote its landscapes to travellers from neighbouring countries. Thanks to a targeted media campaign, the operation generated a desire to discover the region. The game highlighted the diversity of its landscapes. It also helped the region to identify participants’ preferences. This made it possible to target communications at destinations that were attractive to them.

Nouvelle Aquitaine Region - swiper

4. Promote your products via online surveys

Surveys are an opportunity to promote products or services. They allow you to test concepts, functionalities or offers with the market. They can also be used to present the added value of your catalogue in a fun, interactive way.

The aim of the survey: to validate a product and promote its benefits.

Example of a survey: ‘What feature attracts you to our product?’ or ‘Would you be prepared to test this new product?’.

The benefits of surveys: Optimise product launches and encourage adoption through direct feedback.

Use case: Legrand’s Céliane campaign highlighted the products and finishes offered by the brand. The campaign was based around a Swiper game, supported by Adictiz Ads media coverage and a push opt-in stage to maximise registrations. The results reflect user interest in the brand. With more than 111,000 games played and an average of 5 games per subscriber, the campaign helped to engage the audience.

Legrand - Céliane Swiper set

5. Improve the customer experience by collecting feedback

Surveys are a way of evaluating and improving the customer experience. By soliciting feedback after an interaction or purchase, retailers can identify what is working and where improvements are needed. This could be satisfaction with a product, the quality of customer service or the efficiency of an online journey. This feedback enables data-driven decisions to be taken and an optimal customer journey to be offered.

The aim of the survey: to optimise the user experience and strengthen customer loyalty.

Example of a survey: ‘How would you rate our service? What improvements would you like to see in our product?’

The benefits of the survey : By responding to customer feedback, the company demonstrates that it is listening to them. This strengthens their commitment and loyalty by improving the quality of the offer.

Use case: McDonald’s uses surveys to improve the customer experience. Faced with a drop in sales, the chain intensified its collection of customer feedback to identify the improvements it wanted to make. The surveys revealed the relevance of offering a simplified menu and better quality ingredients. McDonald’s implemented these changes, which led to a 4.1% increase in sales.

Conclusion

Online surveys are versatile marketing tools that can be used to analyse the behaviour of your audience, qualify your prospects, enhance the appeal of your offer and boost customer loyalty. To create a truly engaging survey experience, rely on gamification. Adictiz offers you a range of fun polling techniques to suit your brand universe and strategic objectives!

In 30 minutes, we show you how to launch your own high-performance interactive marketing campaign

Reinforcing corporate communication through gamification

Reinforcing corporate communication through gamification

According to a Gallup study, only 13% of employees worldwide feel involved in their work. A statistic that underlines the urgent need to improve corporate communication, both internal and external, and human interaction within organisations, particularly by adopting innovative approaches such as gamification.

Traditional methods of corporate communication are now coming up against major challenges. They are no longer adapted to new communication flows, new ways of working (notably with the rise of teleworking) or new consumer expectations of brands. This can lead to a gradual disengagement of its audience, both internally and externally, and thus to a decline in the productivity and attractiveness of organisations.

Gamification offers an effective solution to these challenges. By introducing interactive and playful mechanisms into its corporate communications, the company can better address the expectations of its various stakeholders and strengthen their attachment to the group.

Here are some tips and practical examples of how to use gamification as a tool to transform your corporate communications.

What is corporate communication?

Corporate communication encompasses all of an organisation’s communications aimed at both its internal and external stakeholders. It includes marketing campaigns aimed at the company’s customers, as well as exchanges with external partners (suppliers, investors) and, of course, employees/applicants.

Business communication is therefore a major challenge for organisations, enabling them to maintain good relations and transparent communication with all their stakeholders.

The various forms of corporate communication include :

  • Public relations: to raise your profile, strengthen your branding or improve your reputation both internally and externally;
  • Crisis communication: to manage the problems the company may encounter, reassure its partners and guarantee its future, etc.

What are the key issues in corporate communications?

Corporate communication is a major challenge for companies. It plays an essential role in all aspects of a company’s business and plays an active part in maintaining its attractiveness and therefore its profitability.

The main challenges in corporate communications include :

  • Building and maintaining a solid reputation and a strong brand identity. Corporate communications help shape the way we perceive an organisation. It helps to differentiate a brand from its competitors and therefore to strengthen its credibility with all its stakeholders.

  • Improving employee commitment and satisfaction. Internally, corporate communication fosters a good corporate culture. It enables the company to communicate its vision, values and objectives more effectively. It is therefore a good lever for mobilising and motivating your teams and strengthening their attachment to the company.

  • Managing crises and change effectively. Corporate communication is essential for managing any crisis or change likely to affect the organisation. Properly orchestrated, it can mitigate the negative impact of problems encountered by the company, reassure customers and mobilise employees to resolve the crisis or adapt smoothly to change.

  • Strengthening relationships and partnerships with stakeholders. Finally, corporate communication encourages collaboration with all our partners, from customers to suppliers and, of course, employees. It allows us to share information, but also to better understand their needs and respond to them in a timely and relevant manner.

Gamification to boost corporate communications

Gamification, or the introduction of game elements, is an excellent way of boosting corporate communications. The interactive, playful aspect of gamification enables organisations to better capture the attention of their various audiences, engaging them effectively and enhancing their brand image.

Gamification to add power to messages

Companies now have a wide range of channels for communicating with their internal and external stakeholders. They can use email, their website or application, but also social networks to transmit information to their target audiences.

The whole point of the game is to capture consumers’ attention and give these messages greater impact. The interaction and the original way in which the message is conveyed mean that the information is much more strongly and sustainably integrated.

Games also improve message retention, making them more memorable. For example, employees are more likely to remember the organisation’s strategic objectives if they are shared via a playable format such as a Quiz.

The game mechanics can also be used to apply this new knowledge in a fun way (on the ongoing transformation of the organisation or its CSR policy, for example). To do this, the company could offer a Game of Differences, a Memory game or even launch a QWL challenge.

Example: DPD’s Zero Waste Quiz

DPD offered its employees a quiz designed to raise awareness of waste reduction. The aim of the operation was to tackle this sensitive subject in a fun and light-hearted way. Thanks to this corporate communication initiative, participants could win prizes (boxes, zero waste kits), reinforcing the commitment to this internal awareness-raising campaign.

DPD - zero waste quiz - corporate communication

Promote the brand to candidates, employees and business partners

Gamification also makes it possible to offer a different kind of corporate communication and therefore to focus the attention of audiences on the company. Gamification offers the ability to make your brand more visible on the market, more attractive, but also more convincing.

Play mechanisms can therefore be used as part of internal training and employee development programmes. They can also be shared with external stakeholders (investors, partners) to promote the company’s innovations. With consumers, gamification can maximise the time spent with the brand (via a sports game, for example) and highlight its initiatives (sports or cultural sponsorship programmes, etc.).

Example: The Lidl Voyage in-house game

In order to reinforce the feeling of belonging to the brand and to highlight the travel offer, Lidl set up a Tiny Wings in 3 different universes. The campaign enjoyed high levels of engagement, with over 10k games played and an average playing time of 5min 15s.

Lidl - tiny wings travel game

Boosting stakeholder engagement

Gamification makes communication media more interactive and attractive. It encourages both employees and customers to actively participate and engage with the company’s content.

For example, animations can be used to encourage stakeholder participation in company events and initiatives. Gamified communication encourages participation in activities and stimulates the involvement and enthusiasm of participants.

Overall, gamification helps to create more playful and positive working environments. It injects pleasure and fun back into daily tasks and makes the activities associated with corporate life more enjoyable and rewarding. By offering attractive prizes, the company also helps its partners to feel valued and motivated.

Example: Lidl’s Made by you Pizza

Lidl asked its employees to create the brand’s next pizza using a voting mechanism. The activation engaged Lidl employees, who generated 21.6k votes throughout the campaign.

Lidl - pizza made by you

Conclusion

Gamification is a powerful way of boosting your corporate communications? Whether you want to communicate with your internal or external stakeholders, marketing games are extremely effective at capturing attention and engaging with your brand. Discover our interactive gamification mechanisms and tailor them to your corporate culture and strategic objectives!

In 30 minutes, we show you how to launch your own high-performance interactive marketing campaign

Disappearance of barcodes, uses of QR codes in marketing

Disappearance of barcodes, uses of QR codes in marketing

First introduced in the USA in 1074, barcodes are now found on all consumer products. From food packaging to the labels on the clothes we buy. For many years, this sequence of 24 bars and 13 digits has enabled us to obtain an item’s reference number and price.

But its days are numbered, and barcodes are soon to disappear, to be replaced by a more powerful and comprehensive solution: the QR code, a real marketing tool. In this article, we look at this programmed disappearance and the reasons behind the replacement of barcodes.

Barocdes, a practical solution for product identification

The barcode revolutionized consumer goods 50 years ago. Known in the US as GTIN (Global Trade Item Number), barcodes make items easily identifiable. We were able to find them at a glance (or thanks to a scanner) on clothing labels or packaging.

The purpose of barcodes was to enable supermarkets to structure themselves. They facilitate the storage and marketing of a larger catalog of products. First introduced in the U.S., barcodes made their way across the ocean to our shelves. Not least via GS1 France, the French branch of the organization responsible for the identification system.

Despite these years of service, the barcode is destined to disappear. It is due to be replaced over the years, to disappear in 2027. But to what identification solution?

The QR code: a more modern and complete version of the bar code

If barcodes are bowing out, it’s because they’re being replaced by a more efficient identification solution. Goodbye 24 bars and 13 digits, hello QR code. This modern-day cousin stands for Quick Response Code. In concrete terms, it’s a type of two-dimensional barcode made up of black modules set in a square with a white background.

The QR code can be used to encode more than 4,000 alphanumeric characters, a considerable advance compared to the few numbers contained in their counterparts. Thanks to this technology, it is possible to encode in a QR code :

  • an URL: such as a website address, documentation download link, etc.
  • an e-mail address;
  • a business card ;
  • free text.

Why replace barcodes with QR codes?

The main advantage of QR codes is that this technology makes it possible to encode more information about a product and the brand that markets it. In addition to an item’s reference number and price, QR codes make it possible to find out where it comes from, how it was made, and so on.

Take a food product like meat, for example. Thanks to the QR code, all players in the chain, from the breeder to the end customer, can find out where the animal was raised, to which batch it belongs, the use-by date, and so on. A small feat that was not possible with the barcode. For consumers, this means easier access to information that can be vital (in the event of allergies, for example), but also to ensure that their values are respected (by favoring Made in France or organic products, for example).

For institutions and retailers, the QR code is an effective lever for preventing dangerous products from finding their way onto shelves. Brands will be able to offer their customer transpareny, as well as access to varied and relevant resources.

Marketing uses for QR codes

Overall, the QR code provides access to information about the product and the brand that markets it. It’s therefore an opportunity for companies to distribute content tailored to consumers, depending on the context of purchase or use. The QR code will be used by shoppers during their shopping trips. It can help them choose products and brands that correspond to their needs (carbon footprint, level of plastic used, origin, etc.)

But for brand’s, it’s also an opportunity to engage their prospects in a more targeted and effective way.

The Scan&Play

The Scan&Play is the use of QR codes as part of a playable marketing campaign. Printed on a product or label, the QR code, once scanned, redirects shoppers to interactive experiences, such as competitions, instant wins and so on.

These marketing games enable participants to win discount vouchers, in exchange for brand-relevant data (product preferences, contact information) shared via a form.

In the awareness phase, Scan&play can also make information sharing fun, and therefore likely to lead to conversion, via mechanics such as polls or quizzes

Sunday - Scan&Play

Conclusion

Barcodes are on their way out, long live the QR Code. This more modern and comprehensive replacement is an opportunity for brands to interact more effectively with their customers, offering them not only more information on their products, but also opportunities to win rewards by taking part in marketing games. Adopt Scan&Play and discover our catalog of interactive mechanics!

In just 30 minutes, we’ll show you how to launch your own high-performance interactive marketing campaign.

What is influencer marketing? Benefits, techniques

What is influencer marketing? Benefits, techniques

In a context where consumers are constantly exposed to promotional messages, brands need to redouble their creativity to engage their audience and stand out from competitors. Influencer marketing offers many ways of doing this.

To the question what is influencer marketing? The first answer is that this strategy is unavoidable. According to a recent study, the global influence market is worth more than 16 billion dollars. Working with content creators is an essential way of humanising your brand, creating an authentic connection with your audience and reaching a wider public.

However, this strategy also presents challenges. Influencer marketing is evolving to meet consumers’ expectations of proximity and interaction. Also, it needs to equip itself with more tools to better measure the performance of campaigns and personalise them.

Gamification, the integration of playful elements into influencer marketing, is an excellent way of meeting these challenges. This article looks at the advantages of this strategy and the various interactive tools available to boost its performance.

What is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is a strategy in which brands collaborate with content creators, mainly on social networks. Influencers are personalities who have managed to build up an online audience. Generally by specialising in a particular content niche and creating links with their followers.

This closeness to their audience and ability to create native content on social networks are two levers for companies. By co-creating campaigns with influencers, brands can reach a wider audience that is interested in their products or services. Content creators also act as ambassadors, embodying the brand, giving it an image that is authentic and closer to its audience.

An integral part of influencer marketing strategy is to identify content creators whose interests, tone and values are close to those of the company (as in a co-branding strategy). In this way, companies can ensure to reach the right audience, maintaining consistency in their communications and highlighting their value proposition.

The benefits of influencer marketing for brands

Influencer marketing can be a powerful marketing tool for brands, whatever their reputation, sector of activity or objectives. According to a recent report on the subject, almost half of consumers (49%) make a purchase at least once a month after being exposed to influencer publications. And almost all shoppers (86%) make a purchase following recommendations from a content creator at least once a year.

The reasons for influencer marketing include :

Increase brand awareness

Working with influencers enables companies to reach a highly qualified audience. By sharing campaigns about a brand, content creators help to raise awareness of the brand among new people or improve its image. This is how Léna Situations has modernised the image of the Jennyfer brand.

Target the audience for your marketing campaigns more effectively

Influencer marketing helps brands to target their audience. The key is to work with a creator whose community matches the characteristics of the company’s target audience. So it’s an excellent way of ensuring that your message reaches the right people and is delivered in a way that resonates with them (making the campaign more impactful).

Achieve higher conversion rates

Social proof is a powerful conversion factor. Consumers are more likely to buy a product if it has been recommended to them by someone they trust. What’s more, influencers have mastered the codes of content creation on social networks. As a result, their publications are better integrated into users’ news feeds, making them more likely to capture attention and generate conversions.

Create a more authentic and trusting relationship with your audience

Influencers also enable brands to humanise their communications and create an authentic connection with consumers. They will create credible content that will enable their followers to understand their brand. Identify the strengths of a product or service and the different ways in which it can be used. Their shared experience, which is less formatted and spontaneous, is also likely to generate trust (conversion and loyalty) than a traditional promotional campaign.

benefits of influencer marketing

How to gamify influencer marketing campaigns

Influencer marketing is a strategy for reaching and converting your target audience. But it has also become an ultra-competitive advertising arena in which brands must redouble their efforts to convince designers to collaborate with them and capture the attention of their subscribers.

Gamification in marketing is a lever that can be used to boost the performance of a campaign in many ways. This technique can be used to motivate influencers and promote their content. Companies can gamify their influencer (or ambassador) program in the same way as a loyalty program. Designers who generate sales can accumulate points, reach new levels and benefit from specific advantages (goodies, higher commission on each sale, access to the brand’s backstage areas).

Above all, gamification makes it easier to capture the audience’s attention and stimulate engagement. By creating playful campaigns, in the form of creative contest or marketing games. Companies and influencers can encourage users to interact with them and boost the virality of their content.

The playable mechanics of gamification are also a way of increasing subscriber interaction with the campaign. There fore, it is e lever to collect more zero-party data to better understand the needs and expectations of its audience. Based on this, the company can then create even more personalised, and therefore much more engaging campaigns!

Conclusion

Gamification is an excellent way of creating even more effective influencer marketing campaigns. To engage the creators you work with and their audience, don’t hesitate to integrate interactive mechanisms into your content. Discover our catalog of marketing games and boost your influencer strategy!

In just 30 minutes, we’ll show you how to launch your own high-performance interactive marketing campaign.

Gift cards and gamification, boosting customer engagement

Gift cards and gamification, boosting customer engagement

Brands are constantly looking for marketing levers to engage and convert their audience. Gift cards are one of the most popular tools for boosting brand awareness and encouraging purchases or repeat purchases.

They are widely adopted by retailers, from fashion to restaurants, not forgetting supermarkets. However, gift cards are also used by smaller brands to engage their audience. They are all the easier to mobilise as part of an omnichannel customer experience. They can be physical or digital.

In this article, we’ll be sharing how to strenghten your relationship with your audience using gift cards. We’ll explore ways of gamifying a gift card program and making the experience interactive and engaging.

The explosion of gift cards as a mtehod of payment

In 2024, brands reported an increase of almost 25% in gift cards purchases. Gift cards are no longer reserved for the festive season, when they are given as Christmas presents. It is now becoming more widespread during high points such as sales, Black Friday, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day (when consumers want to give pleasure or treat themselves).

Another new development is the dematerialisation of gift cards. Long confined to physical shops, they are now exploding in e-commerce. According to a Global POS analysis, the average value of gift cards activated on the web has riser from €50.73 to €59.56 in 12 months, an increase of 17.42%!

For consumers, they are becoming the preferred method of payment, both in retail and online. The distribution of market shares remains equivalent, with fashion leading the way in terms of usage. Nevertheless, we are seeing an increase in purchases made using this methods of payment during the sales period, demonstrating the growing importance of gift cards in consumer habits.

What are the advantages of gift cards for brands?

As well as being popular with shoppers, gift cards also offer benefits for brands. Theses include:

A significant increase in revenues

Gift cards are an opportunity for brands to increase their sales. This is an advance payment that is not always used by its holders. According to CEB TowerGroup, 10% of gift card balances remain unused, which represents a considerable margin. In one year, a brand like Starbucks can make a profit of 1 billion dollars from unused gitf cards. Buyer who use these cards generally spend more than the initial amount,increasing the company’s revenues. 61% of consumers who opt for this payment method spend more than thier balance.

An opportunity to acquire new customers

Many of the customers who buy a gift card are new customers. It is therefore a lever of brand awareness, which capitalise on recommendations to boost visibility. Overall , gift cards reduce acquisition costs. The brand takes advantage of the visibility and traffic of other brands to raise its profile by placing its gift cards in a distribution network (or on platforms such as my gift card).). C’est d’autant plus efficace quand elles sont affichées à côté de celles d’entreprises comme Amazon ou Netflix.

A lever for customer retention and loyalty

Gift cards improve the shopping experience by offering consumers greater flexibility. They benefit from greater flexibility of choice, and the dematerialisation of cards simplifies their use. This tool can also be a way of strengthening the loyalty program and make it stand out from the crowd. By sending them to customer who cross a threshold (or number of loyalty points), brands can increase the repurchase rate. It’s a way of strengthening the relationship with our most committed customers by rewarding them with an e-card.

A tool for collecting customer data

The use of gift cards enables retailers to improve their customer knowledge. They are able to track purchases and collect data (the time between the purchase of the card and its use, the amount of the purchase, the products or services purchased, etc.).

Dematerialised gift cards, sent via an email campaign (as part of a loyalty program), can be used to refine these analyses.. L’entreprise peut suivre le parcours client et calculer son ROI.

Galeries Lafayette - Gift card give away

How to gamify gift cards to boost buyer engagement

While the gift card is a tool for expanding and engaging its audience, it remains a competitive arena. To stand out from the crowd, brands can enhance the experience by opting for gamification. Gamification strengthens the interaction between the company and the consumer, through playable formats and attractive rewards. In the context of a gift card program, this can take the form of:

 

  • Interactive promotional campaigns. Playable Marketing is an excellent way of boosting visibility and encouraging audiences to buy gift cards. the brand can launch a gamified campaign on social networks in order to generate leads and acquire new clients. Le format du contests increase the virality of the campaign and makes it more attractive.

  • Gamified rewards: shoppers can increase the value of their card or unlock rewards (free goodies, free delivery) by taking part in a marketing game or challenge. The brand can integrate a QR code into its gift card, taking consumers to a winning instant to encourage them to buy one.

Conclusion

Gift cards are all the rage, both in-store and online. They’re ideal for raising your brand’s profile and engaging your audience. To make them more attractive and generate more sales, gamify your shopping experience with our interactive mechanics!

In just 30 minutes, we’ll show you how to launch your own high-performance interactive marketing campaign.