From Food to Fun: The Gamification of Food and Delivery Apps
Market revenue for the food and delivery industry has increased by 204% in the past five years, with more consumers turning to apps to order food from restaurants. In the United States, for example, online food ordering has grown 300% faster than dine-in since 2014, and now accounts for roughly 40% of total restaurant sales.
With the growth of the market, competition has intensified among food and delivery apps. In addition to traditional players such as Grubhub and Uber Eats, new entrants such as DoorDash and Postmates have gained market share in recent years. Specialized delivery apps focusing on a single niche, such as pizza or alcohol delivery, have also emerged, making the market now highly competitive.
Therefore, companies need to find new and innovative ways to keep their users engaged and coming back for more. Gamification offers a fun and interactive way to do just that. By incorporating game-like elements into their apps, companies can create a more engaging and rewarding experience for their users. This can include things like rewards programs, challenges, and virtual badges, which can all help to incentivize users to continue using the app, which can help to increase user engagement, retention, and loyalty.
Gamification in Food and Delivery Apps
Here are some examples of gamification in food and delivery apps:
Starbucks
Starbucks uses a rewards system where customers earn 'stars' for each purchase they make. These stars can then be redeemed for free drinks or food items. The more stars a customer earns, the higher their status in the rewards program, which unlocks additional benefits such as free refills, personalized offers, and early access to new products.
What’s more, Starbucks occasionally surprises customers with random rewards or bonus stars for no apparent reason. This game-like element of surprise creates a feeling of excitement and encourages customers to engage with the app and make additional purchases.
Domino's
Domino's uses a points-based system called Piece of the Pie Rewards, where customers earn points for each purchase they make. These points can then be redeemed for free pizza. The Domino's app shows customers how many points they have earned, as well as their progress towards their next reward. This progress tracking gives customers a clear sense of accomplishment and encourages them to make additional purchases to reach the next reward level.
Grubhub
Grubhub offers a loyalty program called Grubhub Perks that rewards users for ordering from the app. Customers earn points for every dollar they spend, which they can redeem for discounts, free food, and other perks.
And it offers a membership program called Grubhub+ that gives customers exclusive perks and discounts. Customers can earn points for every dollar spent on Grubhub+ orders, and these points can then be redeemed for rewards such as free meals and gift cards. Grubhub+ members can also choose to donate a portion of their cashback rewards to charity. This feature incentivizes customers to use Grubhub+ more frequently and gives them a sense of social responsibility.
OKSpin’s GSpace Gamification Solution
GSpace offers a wide variety of in-game items that users can redeem for more rewards, encouraging users to stay engaged with food and delivery apps, complete more orders, and even refer friends to the apps, such as:
Offering exclusive deals or discounts for users who participate in the gamification features.
Creating a leaderboard or ranking system to encourage competition among users.
Incorporating user feedback to improve the gamification experience and make it more enjoyable for users.
Overall, gamification has become an increasingly popular way for food and delivery apps to engage customers and encourage loyalty. By turning the ordering process into a fun, interactive experience, these apps are able to differentiate themselves from competitors and build stronger relationships with their users.
If you want to use various gamification techniques within your apps to incentivize customer engagement and repeat orders, please contact us.
