Enhancing gamified experiences in online service platforms: Exploring the impact of extrinsic gamification design elements
摘要
In the experience economy, integrating online and offline experiences has been a strategic imperative for service industry. Integrating gamified experience into the design of service platforms has gained significant traction among service companies aiming to foster customer engagement. However, the impact of such experiences on offline consumer behavior (e.g., revisit intentions) has not been thoroughly investigated. Using survey data based on a gamified tourism assistant app, we analyze four extrinsic gamification elements: reward giving, badge upgrading, team tasks, and meaningful stories. These elements correspond to the four types of extrinsic motivations with varying internalization levels in self-determination theory (i.e., external, introjected, identified, and integrated motivations). We examine how these extrinsic gamification elements fulfill customers’ psychological needs and thereby affect customer engagement (i.e., revisit intention and word-of-mouth intention). Moreover, we investigate how the effects are contingent on the essential environmental factor (i.e., perceived susceptibility to public health crises) to better design gamified experiences in response to threats. Our research offers valuable insights for both the commercial development and operation of online business platforms.