The strategic use of gamification in Brands' CRM

Abstract

The main objective of this dissertation is to analyze the strategic impact of Gamification in brands’ and retailers’ CRM strategy, with a deep focus on loyalty and reward programs. Having this in mind, the main research questions of this dissertation aim to understand if there are certain characteristics in Gamification that generate value for the end-user and if Gamification can be a source of sustained competitive advantage for firms in the retailing industry. With a view to be able to answer the two research questions, a “Gamification in CRM processes” is proposed, aiming at enumerating the main functionalities of Gamification that may have an impact in a CRM strategy. Through an online survey, taken by 191 people from 25 different nationalities, it is possible to confirm that consumers are interested in participating in a gamified platform and in providing relevant data to brands and retailers in order to receive personalized offers. Moreover, it is also ascertained that Gamification has a potential to increase brand loyalty levels. Gamers’ Tacit Knowledge is then identified as a strategic resource that can be obtained by a gamified application. When applying the RBV framework it is possible to conclude that Gamers’ Tacit Knowledge is a VRIN resource, since it is related to a deep organizational learning and to continuous innovation. This is mainly explained by the nature of a Gamified application - based on human interaction and subject to network externalities, which increases the switching costs to current and potential competitors, and provides companies with a knowledge advantage over their competitors. Gamification can, indeed, create value for brands and be a source of sustained competitive advantage.

Date of Award	2014
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Paulo Amaral (Supervisor)