Utilitarian and hedonic values of gamification and their influence on brand engagement, loyalty, trust and wom

ENTERTAINMENT COMPUTING Volume 52, January 2025, 100868 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.entcom.2024.100868Get rights and content HIGHLIGHTS * • Investigated the impact of gamification’s

utilitarian and hedonistic measurements on consumer brand engagement, loyalty, and WoM marketing outcomes. * • Gamification was conceptualized as a second-order formative construct composed

of two first-order factors: Hedonic features and Utilitarian features. * • Brand Engagement as a second-order reflective construct composed of three first-order factors: Cognitive,

Emotional, Behavioural. * • The hypotheses were tested through PLS-SEM, SEMinR R package used. * • Hedonic values are more successful in changing customer behaviour. * • Hedonic value

components that lead to brand loyalty and word-of-mouth. ABSTRACT This research investigated the impact of gamification’s utilitarian and hedonistic measurements on consumer brand

engagement, loyalty, and WoM marketing outcomes. The data collection process was carried out in India using online and offline distribution of questionnaires. 231 forms were received, with

22 being eliminated due to inconsistencies, such as the identical answers to all questions, resulting in 209 responses acceptable for the research. PLS-SEM with using SEMinR, the hypotheses

were tested. Results indicate that hedonic values are more successful in changing customer behaviour rather than utilitarian; the findings show that hedonic value exists in components that

lead to brand loyalty and word-of-mouth. The study highlights the mediation effect of brand engagement, implying that while brand engagement is a required element for brand loyalty, it may

be indifferent to achieving word-of-mouth. Brand engagement is more significant in promoting WoM than brand loyalty. INTRODUCTION In this fast-paced competitive environment, the concept of

gamification is quickly catching the eyes of different business entities. The businesses, especially in the marketing domain are introducing gamification techniques at an accelerated pace in

non-gaming environments. Still in its early stages, the abilities and elements of gamification are deemed to be readily adaptable from their gaming application roots into the online retail

industry [1]. Today, current technology and imaginative applications are demonstrating that gamification may provide long-term benefits to businesses that adopt it [2]. Gamification is the

process of “applying the essence of games − pleasure, transparency, design, play and challenge − to real-world objectives rather than pure enjoyment” [3]. In business, gamification means the

creation of goods and services to provide game-like activities in order to develop value and elicit more satisfactory reactions from consumers [4]. Gamification is used largely by

businesses to increase consumer brand loyalty, engagement, and positive WoM [5]. Academic scholars are increasingly investigating the use of gamification in varied situations as interest in

gamification grows (e.g., [6], [2], [7]). Previous research shows that gamification improves people's learning, skills, and behaviours. Academic study on gamification is still at its

early stages and has yet to thoroughly investigate consumer behaviour contexts [8], [138]. Furthermore, very few studies have been conducted to examine the mediating and moderating elements

that influence people's behaviour in reaction to gamification [9], [136], [139], [144]. The rapid integration of gamification elements from their origins in gaming into the online

retail industry is still in its nascent stages, demonstrating a significant potential for adaptation. Despite the burgeoning trend and the recognized potential of gamification to enhance

customer interaction, the marketing literature remains deficient in models that elucidate the application of gamification within marketing contexts. Earlier studies demonstrate that

gamification facilitates the intrinsic motivation of consumers, increases participation [10], [11] and creates a better experience for consumers [12], [9]. These benefits are valuable to

organisations because they contribute to higher consumer engagement via more frequent and longer interactions. There is a notable gap in understanding how gamification influences customer

perceptions and their subsequent attitudes toward brands. Addressing this gap, this research aims to explore the connections between hedonic and utilitarian features of gamification and key

marketing outcomes: brand engagement (BE), brand loyalty (BL), brand trust (BT), and word of mouth (WoM). Additionally, it investigates the impact of brand engagement on brand loyalty, and

word of mouth, and examines the brand engagement mediates the relationship between gamification and brand loyalty, and word of mouth. Also examines how brand loyalty mediates the

relationship between gamification and word of mouth? This study seeks to provide both academic and practical insights into the effective use of gamification to foster stronger customer-brand

relationships. SECTION SNIPPETS GAMIFICATION Although it has grown in popularity recently, “gamification” is not a new concept. The game's components have long been utilised in

business marketing strategies. Early attempts to employ gamification were expensive and episodic, and its rising popularity is connected to the advancement of communication and information

technologies [8]. According to the existing evidence, gamification has a favourable impact on brand-related dimensions such as brand loyalty [9] and brand engagement [13]. There

QUESTIONNAIRE FORMULATION AND SCALE DEVELOPMENT To collect the information needed for the current study, a survey instrument was designed. It was organised under several themes. The

respondents' information about socio-demographics was included in the questionnaire's first part. The second part includes questions about gamification and the research constructs.

All the scales were either adapted from prior work or assessed in the pretest before the main study. The research instrument has 31 items. The parameters are summarised in Table 1 ( RESULTS

A two-step approach, suggested by [105], was used in the data analysis. The first stage is to analyse the measurement model, and the second stage is to examine the structural relations

between the latent constructs [151], [156]. The goal of the two-step approach is to verify the reliability and validity of the measurements before evaluating the model's structural

relationship [106]. We employ the SEMinR package for conducting PLS-SEM analysis [107], [108]. When the model is complicated and DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS We using a PLS-SEM technique, this

study investigated the impact of gamification on brand engagement, brand loyalty, brand trust, and WOM in online retailing in India. Almost all hypotheses were confirmed, according to the

findings. According to the empirical evidence, Gamification has a positive impact on brand Engagement, which implies Gamification (Hedonic and Utilitarian features) drives customers to

become more brand-engaged. These elements may increase the likelihood of using gamification CREDIT AUTHORSHIP CONTRIBUTION STATEMENT YUDHVIR SINGH: Writing – review & editing, Writing –

original draft, Visualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Conceptualization. RAM MILAN: Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Conceptualization. DECLARATION OF

COMPETING INTEREST The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors are grateful to the anonymous reviewers of the journal for their constructive comments on the earlier draft of the article. DECLARATION We declare that this

manuscript is original, has not been published before. We know of no conflicts of interest associated with this publication, and there has been no significant financial support for this work

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