“The idea or the aim of gamification is to make systems, services or activities more enjoyable and motivating. In an attempt to enhance user engagement or to increase productivity in an organization, game design elements are employed in a non-game context,” Tobey Hayden, Communications and Business Consultant, Canada, said.

Addressing participants of the Third International Conference on International Marketing in Asia Pacific – Issues and Challenges here on Saturday, via video conferencing from Canada, Ms. Hayden said that gamification could be used to motivate employees at work.

“Say for an example if there are targets that have to be achieved on a daily basis, the employees monitor at workplace can be fitted with a toolbar that has a live counting mechanism or a countdown. This will serve as a reminder of the targets and also it works as an excellent motivation technique for the employees at work.”

This she said worked better in comparison to having the supervisor come after the employee and remind them of the target that had to be achieved for the day.

Quoting the case study of global footwear brand Nike she explained how the Nike App had helped the brand a great deal.

“Nike has launched an app to help people, especially runners. The app is armed with in-built features that would be accepted by runners. This app has a feature that enables its user to check how fast they ran and the distance they ran. It also enables users to record their experience. The app also has a provision that allows its users to discuss challenges they face while running and so on.” Hayden said.

She also added that through this app Nike gathered information about millions of users (runners) who downloaded this app. This was a classic example of how gamification worked well for corporate houses.

The Conference was jointly organized by the GRD Institute of Management and GRD School of Commerce and International Business.