Gamification: Explaining Brand Loyalty in Mobile Applications

Abstract

Gamification is one specific way to increase mobile app users’ brand loyalty. We propose that the frequency with which one uses immersion-, achievement- and social-related features relates to brand loyalty. To provide empirical evidence for this proposal, we obtained quantitative data from surveying 243 users on the mobile application Duolingo and conducted a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). We found that users need to frequently use immersion- and achievement-related features to result in high brand loyalty. On the contrary, we found users who infrequently use at least two gamification features have low brand loyalty. These findings extend the gamification literature by revealing an interaction between multiple gamification features and extend mobile application research by showing how gamification features relate to high and low brand loyalty. We also guide practitioners on how to identify users at risk to discontinue and reduce customer churn.