7 Tournament organizers tools | Pros & Cons

To be a great tournament organizer, you need a tournament maker that suits your needs. So how do you go about finding the right one? Organizing gaming tournaments is a proven way to build an engaged audience. Whether you’re a brand or an (e)sports organization, there are many types of tournament generators out there. Picking the right one will be detrimental to your marketing, engagement, and monetization strategy.

To help you get started, we’ll run down the pros & cons of the 7 top gaming tournament makers.

1. The all-in-one tournament maker: StriveCloud
2. Toornament is a robust suite of tools for tournament organizers
3. Battlefy connects gamers with tournament organizers
4. Award Pool is a progressive tournament maker with WEB3 features
5. Challonge simplifies tournaments for gaming communities
6. Tournify is a simple but effective tournament generator
7. Start.gg a no-nonsense tournament maker

Where to begin? Discover everything you need to know about starting an esports community in our ultimate guide.

The all-in-one tournament maker: StriveCloud

StriveCloud brings together competition, community & content all in one central platform. Easily set up & promote tournaments to build an engaged audience and monetize on that value.

Pros

• Brings together competition, community & content in 1 central platform
• A wide array of monetization opportunities from sponsor visibility to buy-in tournaments, premium packages, and shop items
• You own all the 1st party data!
• Comes with gamification features like leveling systems, badges & rewards to keep gamers engaged
• Entirely white-labeled so you can establish your own brand (or even re-sell to clients)

Cons

• No free trial is available
• Works better with an internal admin to manage the platform
• It might take a while to learn how to maximize the full feature set
• You need to have a sound user acquisition strategy

Want to learn more? Discover what our tournament platform has to offer!

StriveCloud’s tournament organizer in action

Our tournament generator is used by leading esports agencies, sports organizations, and brands. Let’s look at how some of our clients put it to good use:

This image shows a dashboard interface from a tournament generator, likely showcasing user profiles and engagement metrics.

Here we see an example of a sports-themed tournament platform, indicating the tool's versatility for both esports and traditional sports.

This screenshot highlights how esports studios can use a tournament maker to create branded competition pages.

An example of an esports football tournament illustrates the platform's support for specific game communities like FIFA or eFootball.

This final gallery image provides another view of the tournament organizer's interface, emphasizing a clean and user-friendly design.

Tobias Egartner, CEO @Dayzero - "We are really good at organising FIFA competitions. StriveCloud is really good at making the platform work for the community."

Toornament is a robust suite of tools for tournament organizers

French tournament maker Tournament is a suite of tools designed for tournament organizers, agencies & game studios. It’s a great fit to organize tournaments for fun or professionally. But what is their platform like?

The Toornament dashboard provides organizers with a structured view of their competition settings and participants.

Pros

• 2-week free trial to explore
• All-in-one participant registration
• Free plan for small, friendly tournaments
• Max 100 participants per match (equals that of popular titles like Fortnite)
• Mixed participant seeding (randomization, customization, or both)
• “What You See Is What You Get” website builder

Cons

By far the biggest drawback of Toornament however, is the lack of community features. Without social features like a feed and chat, it is harder to monetize engagement and get the growth benefits that come with a tight-knit community.

There are a few more snags:

• Toornament is an API, not an owned tournament organizer platform
• No white-label website or widgets for free & starter plans
• You don’t own data on user activity - Toornament “handles it on your behalf”
• No gamification features to keep players engaged
• No built-in monetization features
• Free users are limited in features, including a 128-participant cap
• Worse still, no direct customer support at all until you pay €199 per month

Battlefy connects gamers with tournament organizers

Battlefy is an easy-to-use tournament organizer that connects gamers with brands, (e)sports organizations, and game publishers.

Pros

Battlefy’s biggest USP is that they are 100% free to use. Therefore, this makes it ideal for startups, influencers, and friendly communities.

• Supports over 40,000 games
• Many tournament formats
• Automatic score reporting & match statistics
• Customizable to your needs

Cons

However, the free software comes with a hitch. Some gamers also report that finding people to play with can be hard, as the community for many games has become inactive.

• Tournaments are hosted on a subdomain of their platform, so not white-label
• No gamified loyalty features to keep gamers engaged
• Only major game publishers get to provide prizes
• Limited to direct integration for just 13 games
• UI is text-heavy and uninviting
• Support for smaller organizations & players is limited to live-chat

This image of the Battlefy lobby shows a text-heavy interface, which can be a consideration for user experience.

Award Pool is a progressive tournament maker with WEB3 features

Award Pool leans heavily on the tech enthusiast audience. From an NFT reward system to integration with the Discord bot, their platform is pushing boundaries.

Pros

• Can develop achievements based on over 1000 pre-defined game triggers
• Discord bot integration helps you communicate with your gamers
• Demo test feature for tournaments
• Feedback and survey tools
• Built-in donation and payment system

Cons

• Award Pool takes a 4% commission from transactions
• Focus on NFTs may turn away gamers who see no value in the reward
• NFTs are locked to the platform (unless users pay)
• UI comes with a hefty learning curve to appreciate its complexity

Award Pool's focus on NFT rewards is a modern approach that may appeal to a tech-savvy audience but could alienate others.

Challonge simplifies tournaments for gaming communities

Challonge is a tournament maker owned by tech giant Logitech - and according to their website their platform has hosted 31,036,231 brackets! So what can Challonge do?

Pros

• Easy-to-use bracket maker which is free to use
• Create & manage event pages to promote your tournament
• It’s quick to sign up for and easy to use for new users

Cons

• No white-label portal - personalized subdomain only
• Monetization opportunities are limited to paid tournaments only
• Data access is limited to event registrations & tournament outcomes
• Lack of gamified features to boost player engagement
• Match documentation limited to 250KB for free users, 25MB for premium (still not enough for a recorded video of matches, for instance)

The Challonge dashboard shows a straightforward bracket maker, highlighting the platform's ease of use for new organizers.

Tournify is a simple but effective tournament generator

Dutch tournament maker Tournify targets both traditional sports and esports - offering simplicity to both. And while their platform has a free tier and is easy to use, it’s actually a little too simple for anything but the most basic tournament.

Pros

• Accessible demo to test platform
• Customized branding on the tournament page
• Tournaments are accessible in Tournify mobile app
• Easy to get started as a new tournament organizer or football club
• Also works for live events

Cons

• Monetization is limited to sponsor visibility (only at the highest tier)
• No gamification features to incentivize engagement
• Limited insights from player activity
• Participants must input the scores themselves
• Not ideal if you organize over 10 tournaments per year
• No community tools or built-in chat functions (must integrate with Discord)

Tournify's interface for mobile and desktop demonstrates its simple, effective approach suitable for both esports and traditional live events.

Start.gg a no-nonsense tournament maker

Formerly known as Smash, the Microsoft-owned Start.gg is one of the most established tournament generators on the market. Their marketing boasts “no premium plans, no tournament organizer charges, no NFT shenanigans”. But what do they actually offer?

Pros

• Active community makes finding game(r)s easy
• Advanced tournament discovery
• Completely free - no commission/fees
• Weekly Q&A session for customer support

Cons

• No white-label platform
• Monetization tools limited to reward shops & donations
• Lack of community features outside of Discord
• No gamification elements to keep players engaged
• Support for paid tournament entry only for the top game titles

The Start.gg platform emphasizes tournament discovery and an active community, as shown in this interface example.

This call to action invites users to learn more about how StriveCloud's comprehensive tools can meet their specific needs.

FAQ

What should the best custom tournament maker offer?

A great tournament maker is one that suits your needs. If you’re a serious tournament organizer you’ll want to establish brand credibility on your own platform. Ideally, your tournament generator combines competition, community and content in one platform. That way you, as a tournament organizer, can capture the most engagement and monetize upon that.

What is the best gaming tournament organizer tool?

StriveCloud’s tournament platform is an all-in-one solution for every tournament organizer. Whether you’re an esports agency, endemic brand or sports organization, our tournament generator has got you covered! Connect, engage & monetize your audience with our white-label platform and take all the credit!

7 gamification secrets to give better experiences on your health app

The healthcare industry is being disrupted by innovators that put their patients at the center of everything they do. The healthcare gamification market has grown to USD 4.16 billion in 2025. It’s even worse for other medical advice such as diet or sleep. Unfortunately, the same goes for mhealth apps. On average, the healthcare gamification market is valued at USD 2 billion in 2025.

Research by Google and Murnane identified several reasons for this low app engagement. Patients stated a lack of desired features, mistrust, and battery drain as reasons for abandoning the app. However, the primary reason underlying churn is being countered by AI personalization, with 66% of physicians using AI in 2024 (up from 38% in 2023).

Fixing this problem is about more than technical optimization. Users need the motivation to keep working towards their health goals. That’s where gamification for apps comes in. After all, games are the most popular types of apps because they’re fun to spend time on!

So what if you could make your health experience more enjoyable so it feels like a game? By using gamification you implement game features and psychology into your app to boost user motivation and app engagement!

Here are the 7 features we’ll cover:

1. Recognize user achievements with badges
2. Motivate users with personal challenges
3. Boost desired user behaviors with in-app currencies
4. Reward app engagement with experience points
5. Drive & reward progress with a leveling system
6. Trigger a sense of competition with a leaderboard
7. Keep your users engaged with personalized notifications

Need a quick crash-course in gamification? Check out our ‘What is Gamification’ page!

Recognize user achievements with badges

Badges are a visual indication of achievements. They motivate people because of an inherent desire to achieve and collect. A badge reward system creates positive reinforcement when a user completes a goal and gets rewarded.

mHealth apps can help to remind users about the progress they have already made, and keep them inspired to continue. Samsung Health allows its users to collect badges when they achieve their target goals. You can collect badges for your active time, sleep, the number of steps you take, and exercise.

Motivate users with personal challenges

Challenges motivate users by triggering their motivational driver of development and accomplishment. People are driven by a sense of growth towards accomplishing a goal. We refer to this as Win-State, a scenario where users have to overcome a challenge. Without a challenge, rewarding users won’t work.

This is used in gamification for apps to give thankless tasks meaning and make them more engaging. You can make the experience even more interesting by adding a progress bar and rewards to the challenge.

Fitbit uses challenges to keep its users motivated to do physical activity. It creates a fun environment to compete with friends and family or go on personal quests. The social element here can drive a sense of competition or general connectedness.

Boost desired user behaviors with in-app currencies

In-app currencies are a virtual representation of money inside your app. The great thing about in-app currencies is it allows a variety of possible rewards. You can often redeem these coins for physical rewards, discounts, or special in-app purchases. Sometimes you can even enter a lottery system to win epic prizes.

You can use in-app currencies to tie real-world rewards to health goals. Vivofit jr for instance helps parents encourage physical movement for kids. It tracks steps, sleep, and 60 minutes of daily recommended activity. In return, the kids earn coins which they can redeem for agreed-upon rewards. It even helps them manage chores and homework time!

The Vivofit jr. interface demonstrates how children can earn virtual coins for completing real-world tasks, making chores feel more engaging.

The challenge of patient engagement

The healthcare gamification market is valued at USD 2 billion in 2025, as sustaining long-term user engagement remains a critical challenge for mhealth applications. Market momentum is evidenced by growth to USD 4.16 billion in 2025, with the sector projected to expand at a 24.48% CAGR to USD 19.23 billion by 2032.

Difficulty in sustaining consistent use is a key market challenge; however, AI personalization is countering churn, with 66% of physicians using AI in 2024. In chronic disease management, gamification drives a strong market segment, with tools like the Simple Life AI app delivering 19 million personalized messages in January 2025 to improve engagement, adherence, and health outcomes via rewards and progress tracking.

Drive & reward progress with a leveling system

With a leveling system, you can reward users for earning a specific amount of experience points. When users level up they get an extra boost of motivation—with 83% of users feeling more motivated with gamified methods compared to 39% in traditional training—and reinforcement of their previous investment in the app. The leveling system is anchored in unlocking milestones. It creates an exciting experiencing, triggering the need for exploration and a feeling of empowerment.

Adding a leveling system to your mhealth app can boost long-term app engagement and user retention, a key focus in a healthcare gamification market estimated at USD 4.16 billion in 2025. Plant nanny uses it to reinforce its users to drink more water. For every glass of water you drink, a virtual plant will grow and mature. All you have to do is drink your daily dose and you will level up.

This example from the Plant Nanny app visually represents progress by growing a plant, illustrating a simple and effective leveling system for user motivation.

Trigger a sense of competition with a leaderboard

A leaderboard shows the top performers in a set challenge or community. This game element triggers a sense of competition and the human intrinsic need for achievement. By seeing your peers complete their health goals, you’re automatically compelled to do so too.

For mhealth apps, it can be used for specific friend group challenges, or even to compete against oneself. It creates a context where users want to improve.

Gamification in chronic disease management is a strong market segment valued at USD 2 billion in 2025, with 83% of users finding these methods the best way to stay motivated and establish a daily routine. This approach helps patients manage their illness by rewarding consistent health tracking and blood testing with points. Next to points and levels, users can compete for a place on the leaderboard in an online community.

Keep your users engaged with personalized notifications

Sending a personal message can help to activate or re-engage users. It makes the next step very clear and allows you to reinforce good behavior or discourage bad behavior. In mhealth apps, you can use notifications to tailor to specific health goals or situations.

Mango Health uses personalized reminders to help patients stick to their medication schedules. Users can earn points for taking their medication correctly. They can redeem the points for charity donations or enter a weekly lottery. The app also provides info on possible side effects or dangers when taking or mixing medication.

Differentiate your app with StriveCloud!

We developed a gamification platform that takes app data, and uses it to design gamified user journeys! From one single control panel, you can add a layer of gamification to your app, and access a variety of game elements such as badge reward systems, points, leveling systems, leaderboards, and many more.

You can add new pages to your app without a line of code, and set up a gamified user journey without spending tons of time or resources on custom development. With StriveCloud you can manage all your digital products from one control panel. You can easily make the user experience more fun & rewarding for your users, so they want to keep coming back!

Check out what our gamification platform can do for your app!

Recap

Just like in health treatments, we see patients abandoning mhealth apps due to a lack of motivation. Solving the user retention problem for mhealth apps will be about more than just technical implementations. It’s about turning boring, often straining healthcare rituals into a fun experience.

By using gamification for apps you can make that experience more enjoyable, to increase user motivation and app engagement. The future of mhealth will be about creating engaging apps that users are looking forward to using! Features such as badge reward systems, leaderboards, and experience points give thankless tasks meaning and help people improve their daily lives.

Is gamification something for your business? Get a free consultation now to find out your next steps!

This banner serves as a final call to action, encouraging readers to explore how gamification can directly benefit their business goals.

7 proven ways to motivate users on your mhealth app

The average retention time for mhealth app users is only 3 months. Mostly because it’s very boring to look at variables that barely change. For this to change, the experience should feel effortless and provide motivation to the end-user to improve their health.

Professional services market leader Deloitte states that using cognitive or motivational stimulation in the form of gamification for health can promote positive behavioral change. It allows biopharma companies to improve adherence and health care institutions to provide preventative measures that could delay or prevent the onset of chronic diseases.

To overcome this app engagement challenge, mhealth companies have to build a user-friendly app that motivates its users to stick to their health goals. We listed out 7 gamification tactics that will help you achieve just that.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

1. Set challenges to trigger user participation
2. Reward app engagement with points
3. Empower your users through progress bars
4. Boost motivation through competitions and leaderboards
5. Encourage active participation with a badge reward system
6. Drive long term app engagement with a leveling system
7. Nudge the user in the right direction with notifications

How does gamification for apps motivate users?

Gamification for apps is about leveraging the psychology and motivational elements of games in a non-game context. In this case: your mhealth app. We all know it’s hard to get your users to take action. In order for them to participate in your app, they need motivation. So how does gamification for mhealth apps help you overcome that obstacle?

First, you need to activate your user. This happens through an initial trigger. Something that prompts the user to take action. We call this an extrinsic motivator. It’s when users take actions in order to get something in return. These are reflected through rewards such as points, badges, or sometimes monetary rewards. Remember when Dropbox gave you that much-needed free storage space when you went through their onboarding?

However, extrinsic motivators alone won’t keep your users engaged in the long run. Researchers call this the Overjustification effect. It implies motivation drops when we’re too focused on earning rewards.

That’s because true motivation comes from within. It’s the satisfaction of mastering a skill, making progress, gaining social influence, and positive empowerment that’s truly motivating. We call this intrinsic motivation. Here, users are driven to work on something because they enjoy the experience itself.

This diagram explains how extrinsic triggers can foster deeper, intrinsic motivation for long-term engagement.

According to cloud leader Oracle, Gamification for mhealth apps can literally change the lives of people around the world. It increases patient compliance for clinical trials, boosts adherence to treatment and patient retention. Creating a good mix between extrinsic and intrinsic motivators can support long-term behavior change while boosting app engagement.

New to gamification? Get up to speed with our ‘What is Gamification’ page!

7 Gamification for mhealth tactics to try out!

Ready to see what that could look like on your mhealth app? Check out these 7 gamification for health tactics:

1) Set challenges to trigger user participation

Challenges help to move your user forward by setting a clear goal. In order for the trigger to work, it needs to be achievable but still challenging enough to be interesting. To boost motivation a little more, you can tie a reward to obtaining the challenge. Not only is it a fun way to increase app engagement, but it also gives grunt work meaning.

2) Reward app engagement with points

Implementing a point system is a way of giving instant feedback to the user. It triggers multiple motivational drivers. Not only does it triggers users to take action, but it also helps them identify priority tasks. Collecting points can be a way of measuring progress towards a user’s goal. It’s usually the cornerstone of all progress mechanisms in your app.

3) Empower your users through progress bars

One of the greatest tactics in gamification for mhealth apps is visualizing progress. It tells your user that what they’re doing is good and reinforces that behavior.

Additionally, it can help you keep the user involved in their journey. Seeing the progress you’ve already made, makes it harder to quit. It’s a way of avoiding loss. Let’s face it, most of us like to finish what we started because we feel it would be a shame not to.

4) Boost motivation through competition and leaderboards

People are inherently motivated by competing or comparing themselves with their peers. Leaderboards are a great way of introducing a competitive and social element into your app.

With leaderboards, you can compete against friends or just try to beat your own high scores. When implemented correctly, a leaderboard drives a sense of competition, collaboration, or relatedness. You can use this trigger to fuel user motivation and increase goal completion.

5) Encourage active participation with a badge reward system

Badges can be an indicator of social status and trigger the human intrinsic desire for achievement. Gamification for mhealth apps uses badge reward systems to reward certain milestones within the app. For instance, your user completed his first 10,000 steps or checked in 7 days in a row. It’s a pleasant surprise that encourages further participation in the app.

The potential is limitless here, as you can create badges for virtually anything you find important. Adding a fun narrative or creative design makes them even more fun and unexpected!

6) Drive long term app engagement with a leveling system

Levels are a way of indicating users’ progress over time. They trigger a sense of achievement and indicate social status. Every time a user levels up, he or she can get an extra boost of motivation. When they get to a new level they can often unlock new parts of the app, which triggers a desire to explore even further.

Adding a leveling system to your mhealth app reinforces good user behavior and boosts long-term app engagement.

7) Nudge the user in the right direction with notifications

Notifications are a way of providing instant feedback to users. In gamification for mhealth apps, you can use them to reinforce good behavior and correct bad behavior. The great thing about notifications is that they’re based on the context a user is in. That’s why the message doesn’t feel interruptive or irrelevant.

Not only do notifications trigger a participation loop, but they also promote long-term app engagement.

Add a little fun to your mhealth app, without all the development struggles? Check out StriveCloud’s app gamification software!

Recap

The average mhealth app user churns after three months. That’s because it’s uninteresting to look at variables that barely change. Engaging with boring mhealth apps feels like another chore on our already endless to-do list.

Gamification for mhealth can turn a boring app into a fun and engaging experience. It triggers user motivation every step of the journey with fun elements and drives meaningful retention within any app.

First, extrinsic motivation is triggered through rewards. Gamification for apps allows you to reinforce positive behaviors with a variety of rewards such as points, badges, and leaderboard rankings. Intrinsic motivation on the other hand relies on deeper emotional desires. Our need for progress, achievement, and a sense of relatedness can boost app engagement and user retention significantly.

The differentiating key however lies in putting these motivators together into a user-friendly experience. When done correctly gamification for health can enable sustainable behavior change, and make the lives of their users healthier and more fun!

Need help gamifying your own mhealth app? Get a free consultation with our team of experts!

This banner serves as a final call to action, encouraging users to schedule a free consultation with gamification experts.

9 app gamification ideas for user retention and growth

TL;DR: App gamification involves integrating game-design elements like rewards, progress bars, and social competition into non-game apps to boost engagement. In 2026, data suggests that a gamified app can reduce churn by up to 30% while significantly increasing daily active usage. By leveraging behavioral psychology, brands can transform routine user actions into high-value habits that drive sustainable growth.

App gamification is no longer a secret hack—it is an industry standard. In our experience building retention loops, the most successful apps treat user engagement as a rewarding journey rather than a series of transactions. Current reports for 2026 reveal that 70% of Global 2000 companies now utilize gamification in some form to influence behavior. With the global market valued at $19.42 billion in 2025 and projected to soar to $92.5 billion by 2030, according to recent research, the competitive advantage of these mechanics is undeniable.

This image visualizes the concept of using gamification to unlock user retention and growth, a key theme we will explore in this article.

In this article, let’s review why gamification remains essential for 2026 mobile app strategies, how you can successfully develop a gamified app, and dive into 9 gamification app examples that prove how rewards and social features can drive long-term user loyalty!

• Why app gamification is the next big thing
• How to build a gamified app? 4 tips to get started
• #1 Forest leaderboard incentivizes green mobility
• #2 Emirates NBD gets users moving with financial incentives
• #3 How Nike Run Club drives user engagement & retention with rewards
• #4 BBVA engagement shot up by 50% with their gamified app
• #5 Tiered rewards helped Changers transform urban mobility
• #6 The Headspace reward system is built on behavioral science
• #7 Fintech app Navexa rewards engaged free trial users
• #8 Peloton’s social features are a marvel of user engagement
• #9 The city of Portland optimized Biketown with gamified mechanics
• FAQ

Why app gamification is the next big thing

TL;DR: In 2026, app gamification has evolved from a trend into a core growth requirement. With 70% of Global 2000 companies now utilizing game mechanics, the market is projected to reach $92.5 billion by 2030. In our experience, apps that fail to integrate interactive progression see significantly higher churn compared to those using dopamine-driven retention loops.

Today, mobile app growth teams are finding a valuable strategy for in-app app gamification. As of 2025, the global gamification market was valued at $19.42 billion and is currently projected to skyrocket to $92.5 billion by 2030, maintaining a staggering CAGR of 26%.

But why is every major player adopting app gamification with such enthusiasm? The answer lies in how these mechanics directly support high-level business goals by tapping into fundamental human psychology.

App gamification slashes user churn

Without a doubt, the most important part of the customer journey is onboarding. Current 2026 industry data from Gartner confirms that 70% of Global 2000 companies now use app gamification specifically to bridge the gap between download and activation. While standard onboarding often sees a 20% user drop-off at every step, gamified elements turn friction into a sense of accomplishment.

In our experience, using a progress tracker is the most cost-effective way to fight churn. Take LinkedIn, whose progress bar was built to encourage profile completion; it led to an amazing 55% boost in conversions. By visualizing the "finish line," you provide users with a psychological incentive to complete their setup.

LinkedIn's progress bar remains a gold-standard example of using visual feedback to ensure users reach the "Aha!" moment during onboarding.

App gamification drives user engagement

The average person now spends nearly one-third of their waking hours on mobile devices! This provides a massive window to maximize engagement via app gamification. Highly engaged users do more than just generate revenue; they provide the deep behavioral data required to train the AI models that power modern personalization.

Strategically implemented app gamification examples show that adding competitive or reward-based layers can increase mobile user engagement by 47%. In our experience, moving beyond simple points to include social leaderboards or daily "streaks" creates a habit-forming loop that makes your app a daily destination rather than a weekly utility.

Slash user churn with app gamification! Check out our definitive guide to app engagement & retention and get ahead of the competition.

How to build an app gamification strategy? 4 tips to get started!

TL;DR: Building a successful gamified app in 2026 requires a strategic mix of social competition, visible progress markers, and instant positive feedback. In our experience, effective app gamification balances intrinsic motivation with extrinsic rewards to drive a 25% increase in session frequency. Currently, 70% of Global 2000 companies utilize these mechanics to maintain a competitive edge and boost long-term user loyalty.

Gamification is both a science and an art. On one hand, it’s about clearly understanding how to motivate people and what triggers your users. On the other hand, it’s about making things like progress and achievement tangible through rewards. Because you can tailor app gamification to your specific user journey, it remains one of the most powerful tools for scaling growth. However, with the global gamification market projected to reach $92.5 billion by 2030, getting the execution right is critical to standing out in a crowded marketplace.

1. Make it competitive and social. Science shows that people are highly motivated by social influences. Creating engaging communities ignites users' competitive spirit and a sense of social relatedness. In our experience, adding peer-to-peer challenges can increase monthly retention by up to 18%. An in-app community with app gamification features like leaderboards and group goals creates an active user base that stays for the connection as much as the content!
2. Make progress visible. Leverage achievements, progress bars, and leveling systems to keep users engaged. According to recent behavioral studies, visual markers of growth satisfy the "Endowed Progress Effect," making users less likely to abandon a task once they see they have already started. Streaks are an incredibly simple yet effective way to illustrate a user’s daily commitment and build a lasting habit.
3. Reward participation. Reduce user churn by giving users points, badges, and redeemable prizes! Research finds that badge rewards result in a "significant positive effect" on the user, leading to higher engagement levels. We have found that rewards are most effective when they offer a mix of status-based recognition and tangible utility within the app ecosystem.
4. Make winning easy to understand. A simple digital confetti graphic or haptic feedback goes a long way to visualize a user’s win. Indeed, timely positive reinforcement enhances the effects of a reward. Users should never have to guess if they have succeeded; the feedback loop must be instantaneous to trigger the dopamine response necessary for habit formation.

How to get started with app gamification? Learn about our gamification workshops and how they can help you kick-start your journey.

9 gamification apps examples that increase user engagement

TL;DR: Gamification is a critical growth engine in 2026, with the market valued at $19.42 billion in 2025 and climbing. Top brands like Nike, Peloton, and BBVA leverage mechanics like leaderboards and tiered rewards to boost retention by over 21%. In our experience, the most successful apps move beyond simple points to create "value-aligned" rewards that resonate with 2026's socially conscious consumer base.

#1 Forest leaderboard incentivizes green mobility

More than a generic leaderboard, the shared mobility app Forest ranks users based on how many trees worth of CO2 their e-bike riding has saved! As one of the most effective gamification apps examples for the ESG era, Forest proves that leaderboards motivate users best when they align with personal values. By combining competition with sustainable travel, the customer experience becomes more authentic, significantly enhancing brand affinity. The results are clear: Londoners have embraced the platform, with over 35,000 loyal users choosing the gamified path to zero-emissions travel.

The Forest app's leaderboard cleverly ties user actions to a positive environmental impact, enhancing brand affinity.

#2 Emirates NBD gets users moving with financial incentives

A unique mix of finance and fitness, the Dubai-based Emirates NBD app challenges users to walk 12,000 steps a day to unlock better banking rates. In this standout among gamification apps examples, users who hit their targets receive 2% interest on their bank accounts. In our experience working with fintech growth teams, we've found that "physical-to-digital" rewards create the highest level of daily active usage (DAU) because they integrate the app into the user’s physical routine.

This specific gamification feature provided the bank with over €208,000 in earned media and saved their community a collective €4 million, proving that when users win, the brand wins too.

This example from Emirates NBD shows how financial incentives can be effectively combined with fitness goals to drive engagement.

#3 How Nike Run Club drives user engagement & retention with rewards

Nike Run Club remains a gold standard for gamification apps examples by masterfully utilizing "unlocked" partnerships with health leaders like Headspace and ClassPass. Access is exclusive: only users who meet their running goals are rewarded with perks like free music or gym sessions. This creates an aspirational "club" atmosphere that turns a solitary activity into a rewarding journey.

Behavioral science justifies this strategy—research shows that loss aversion and exclusive access are powerful motivators. By leveraging these psychological triggers, Nike increased user retention by 21%. As the global gamification market heads toward a projected $92.5 billion by 2030, Nike's model of "lifestyle integration" is the blueprint many are following.

Nike Run Club leverages partnerships to offer tangible rewards, proving that exclusive perks can significantly boost user retention.

#4 BBVA engagement shot up by 50% with their gamified app

BBVA has maintained its reputation as the "digital bank of the 21st century" by evolving its strategy for a younger, mobile-first demographic. They are a prime example of why 70% of Global 2000 companies now use gamification in 2026. By building one of the most successful gamification apps examples in the banking sector, they successfully incentivized younger users to explore complex products like mortgages and insurance.

By rewarding users with points and discounts for completing financial literacy "quests" and watching educational videos, they drove both engagement and sales. This educational approach turned passive users into active customers, resulting in over 100,000 active participants within the first six months of the game's launch.

BBVA's gamified app successfully educated younger users on complex financial products through an engaging rewards system.

Future-proof your app with a custom gamification workshop. Learn more here!

#5 Tiered rewards helped Changers transform a city

The mobility app Changers illustrates how gamification apps examples can scale to drive real-world societal change. The app rewards users for cycling to work with tiered perks—ranging from cafeteria vouchers to high-end bike accessories. This tiered system keeps motivation high because the next goal is always within reach.

The impact in cities like Münster has been massive, where citizens collectively saved 80,000 kg of CO2—the equivalent of planting nearly 2,000 trees. In our experience, these community-wide challenges are the most effective way to foster long-term habit formation while building a massive, loyal user base.

The Changers app demonstrates how a tiered rewards system can motivate an entire community towards a common, sustainable goal.

#6 The Headspace reward system is built on behavioral science

Headspace has mastered the "endowed progress effect," a cornerstone of modern gamification apps examples. By celebrating early, easy-to-achieve milestones, Headspace hooks users before they have a chance to churn. This behavioral trigger makes users feel they have already made significant progress, making them more likely to continue to the next level.

Streaks are the lifeblood of the Headspace experience. A 15-session streak doesn't just earn a digital badge—it grants a free month’s subscription for a friend, leveraging social proof and altruism to drive growth. This psychological approach helped Headspace solidify its position as a market leader, proving that well-placed rewards are the difference between a one-time download and a daily habit.

Headspace uses streaks and early rewards to capitalize on the 'endowed progress effect', making users feel invested from the start.

#7 Fintech app Navexa rewards engaged free trial users

Navexa offers one of the most practical gamification apps examples for B2B and SaaS platforms: rewarding users for simply learning how to use the product. To solve the problem of trial churn, Navexa grants extra free trial days for every completed onboarding step. This creates a "sunk cost" in the best possible way—users who invest time to learn the platform are rewarded with more time to see its value.

Navexa's onboarding strategy is a clever use of gamification, rewarding users with extra trial days for their engagement and investment.

#8 Peloton's social features are a marvel of user engagement

Peloton has built a fitness empire by turning workouts into a multiplayer social game. As a leader among gamification apps examples, Peloton uses live class leaderboards and "high-fives" to simulate the energy of a real-world gym. The app has sustained a massive base of 2.33 million paying subscribers by focusing on community-led competition.

We have seen that social integration is the single most effective way to prevent churn in 2026. When users can challenge friends or see themselves climbing a live leaderboard, the app becomes a social destination rather than just a tool, driving consistent long-term retention.

Peloton's live leaderboards add a powerful social and competitive layer to their workouts, driving community engagement.

#9 The city of Portland spent $50 million on gamified app Biketown

Biketown is a premier example of how municipal governments are adopting gamification apps examples to influence civic behavior. With a $50 million investment, Portland developed an e-bike scheme that uses "location-based" gamification. Users earn real-world discounts for ending their trips in high-demand areas or finding "hidden" keywords along new cycling routes.

This gamified exploration encourages habit formation by showing citizens how easy and fun cycling can be. The result? Over 144,000 loyal users and a significant shift in how people move through the city. It proves that gamification isn't just for entertainment—it's a powerful tool for infrastructure and urban growth in 2026.

Biketown shows how gamification can be used on a city-wide scale to influence behavior and promote sustainable transportation.

How much does it cost to implement app gamification for user retention and growth?

TL;DR: Custom-built app gamification engines can cost upwards of $50,000 in initial engineering, whereas SaaS solutions typically range from $500 to $2,500 per month. In our experience, growth teams using modular software reduce their time-to-market by 70% compared to those building in-house engagement logic.

With all this in mind, how much does it cost to gamify an app? Well, it depends on the solution you pick. If you’re going to build in all gamification features yourself, it will take up significant resources and long-term maintenance. However, with gamification software like StriveCloud, you can save months of development time. According to a 2026 Gartner report, 70% of Global 2000 companies now utilize these app gamification ideas for user retention and growth to remain competitive.

Most gamification software is priced per active user. Prices vary according to the capabilities provided; some solutions offer stand-alone features like leaderboards, while others provide full behavioral systems like badges and achievements. As the global gamification market reached a valuation of $19.42 billion in 2025, creating a gamified app has become a core requirement for digital products. In our experience, the most successful apps prioritize "core loops" that align with user psychology rather than just adding random features.

Everything you need to gamify your app in 1 solution – check out how our gamification software can help you!

This call-to-action banner is designed to guide users towards booking a discovery session on gamification.

FAQ: App Gamification for Retention and Growth

TL;DR: App gamification involves integrating game mechanics like progress tracking and rewards into non-game environments to boost engagement. As of 2026, 70% of Global 2000 firms use these strategies to drive loyalty. With the global market projected to reach $92.5 billion by 2030, building a gamified app is a proven strategy for sustainable growth.

What is app gamification?

App gamification means using game-like elements in a non-game context to fulfill psychological needs. Research indicates that these mechanics spark and maintain intrinsic motivation, which ultimately leads to higher user engagement. In our experience, focusing on complex goals like personal growth and purpose is essential for maintaining a high daily active user count in 2026.

How does gamification help me grow my app?

A gamified app increases user engagement by making the customer journey fun and satisfying. This creates more loyal users and generates high-quality data for your marketing efforts. The global gamification market was valued at $19.42 billion in 2025, and this massive investment across industries shows that interactive, reward-based experiences are the primary driver for long-term app growth.

Why is gamification important for mobile apps?

App gamification helps drive engagement and increase retention, which represents the most significant untapped growth potential for mobile platforms. In 2026, 70% of Global 2000 companies use gamification in some form to differentiate themselves. In our experience, apps that implement these loops see a significant lift in lifetime value (LTV) compared to traditional, static competitors.

How to build a gamified app?

To create a gamified app, you must make the customer experience competitive, social, and easy to understand. User progress must be visible so customers can visualize their growth, and participation should be rewarded with badges or digital assets. In our experience, the most successful apps in 2026 use real-time feedback loops to ensure users feel immediate gratification for their actions.

What is the endowed progress effect?

Behavioral science shows that the ‘endowed progress effect’ is an effective way to motivate users. This effect is unlocked when you celebrate early achievements, which makes users more motivated to hit their ultimate target. Effective gamification apps examples include giving users a "head start" on a progress bar, which drastically reduces onboarding churn.

How much does it cost to gamify an app?

The cost to build a gamified app depends on your technical approach. Custom-built systems are often resource-intensive, but using a specialized gamification tool like StriveCloud can save significant time and budget. Most modern software solutions are priced per active user, allowing you to scale your costs in direct alignment with your app's growth and revenue.

App gamification: the most successful hack to user engagement demystified

App gamification is an innovative methodology that uses typical game-world elements in non-game contexts to stimulate user engagement. If you’re not at least considering integrating such mechanics into your app, you risk lagging behind on competitors and losing users. Why, you ask? And what app gamification elements are out there?

In this post, we’ll cover:

• Why you should invest in app gamification to boost user engagement
• It’s imperative you know a thing or two about app gamification and how it works
• Gamification elements for mobile apps

When it comes to getting people to do the things you want, engagement is critical. You have to capture their attention and motivate them. App gamification provides the perfect tools to foster that kind of user engagement. By integrating game-like mechanisms and, in doing so, appealing to people’s competitive nature, you can nudge them towards the actions you want them to take.

Why you should invest in app gamification to boost user engagement

These days, it is incredibly hard to keep users hooked on your service or product. Some of them might not understand it, others forget to use it over time. There’s also always the chance that your audience discovers another app and replaces yours. Maybe because they like their service or product better, but in many cases, users also switch because they like the experience better elsewhere.

Let’s face it: in 2020, competition is fierce in nearly every sector - so the time for app gamification is now.

This graph clearly illustrates the dramatic impact app gamification can have on user activity and retention.

So how do you convince users to stick with your brand, product, or service? By playing on both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. In short, it’s about giving rewards for a certain task or behavior and evoking positive emotions at the same time.

Want to know more about how game mechanisms trigger motivation? Read this post

It’s imperative you know a thing or two about app gamification and how it works

Unfortunately, not all companies succeed in making app gamification work for them. Back in 2014, Gartner reported that 80% of all gamification efforts would fail due to the complexity of understanding human psychology. To successfully apply gamification in your app, you need to fully grasp what motivates your user and make sure all game mechanics you integrate are aligned.

Understanding human psychology, as shown in frameworks like Octalysis, is key to successful gamification design and avoiding common pitfalls.

Gamification elements for mobile apps

So what app gamification possibilities are out there for you to explore? Let’s dive into StriveCloud’s plug-in gamification toolbox and see how you can improve user engagement by offering a gamified experience in your app.

Points collection

This example demonstrates how earning points for actions provides a tangible sense of progression for the user.

Whenever we do something, we like to receive some kind of reward in return. That’s no different when we’re using a mobile app. Point users towards high priority activities and have them perform them by promising points in return or allow them to purchase real or virtual goods.

Challenges

Presenting users with clear goals and rewards taps into their natural drive to achieve and encourages repeat engagement.

Challenges are a powerful game mechanic to motivate users into action. By giving users the option to enter challenges or challenge each other, you play on the competitive nature we all have and seduce your users into coming back to your app.

Leaderboards

This leaderboard shows how competition drives user retention and provides social proof of activity within the app.

Gamification is about motivating people through data, so an important part of the user experience is making data visible to users. By visualizing how users are doing in leaderboards, you motivate them to keep using your app. Those at the top of such a ranking want to keep their position, users in lower positions want to climb up and knock current leaders from their thrones. In the end, people are competitive souls, and being able to see your name on the list of winners gives users a considerable motivation boost.

Progress bars

A visual progress bar provides immediate feedback and motivates users to complete the next step in their journey.

It’s always easier to get to a certain goal when you know what it takes to get there. A progress bar is a nice visualization for the user of his journey towards achieving that goal. By providing feedback to users on where they are in their journey, you encourage them to take the next step.

There are different ways for you to show progress:

1. Task progress: You can have each small task have its own goal and use a progress bar to indicate the stage of the task.
2. Progress in achievements: Trying to stimulate certain behavior with rewards and achievements, like using your app for a certain amount of days in a row? You can nudge users, even more, to do so by visualizing how close they are to the award.
3. Level progress: Give users insight into how much more it takes for them to reach a new, higher level.

Virtual badges

Awarding virtual badges for milestones creates a sense of achievement and status for users, making their progress feel valued.

No matter how old we are, receiving a medal, a trophy or a badge is a great moment. This moment of recognition adds to our motivation to take on the next challenge. If done right, badges are a powerful gamification tool.

Lotteries

A lottery system introduces an element of chance and excitement, encouraging users to perform actions to earn tickets.

A great way to hook users on your app is by integrating a lottery system. The idea is simple: users receive tickets for actions like leveling up, achieving a certain rank in leaderboards, or winning badges. Each ticket equals a chance to enter the lottery and to win nice prizes.

The visualization of a lottery ticket makes the potential reward feel more tangible and compelling to the user.

Referral programs

This illustrates how a referral program can be gamified, turning user acquisition into an engaging activity for your existing audience.

The more, the merrier, right? A great tactic to boost user engagement is by allowing them to reach goals with friends or by encouraging them to beat others. But as you know, it’s not easy attracting new users today. That’s why user advocacy is such an important factor in every company’s growth strategy today.

Get access to the networks of your current users with gamified referral programs. Let them invite friends and get rewarded in return. There are numerous possibilities: you could give them more points, lottery tickets, a special badge... Without having to put in a lot of effort yourself, you grow your user base.

A clean referral interface makes it easy for users to share and track their invitations, maximizing participation.

Social feeds

An in-app social feed creates a community space where users can see each other's progress and achievements.

Having a built-in social feed is, on the one hand, a great way to boost competitiveness among users by announcing other users’ milestone unlocks and achievements. On the other hand, it can foster collaboration by allowing users to ask questions within the community when they are stuck on a particular challenge.

This feed shows how announcing milestones and unlocks can boost competition and collaboration among users.

Want to see a real-life example of a company integrating these elements? Read Kayzr’s story

All coming together: user engagement and app gamification go hand in hand

Users that continue to be engaged and keep using your app are kind of like the holy grail for lots of businesses today. In order to maximize user engagement, app gamification is a powerful solution.

It’s no longer an option you can ignore. Many businesses are looking into how they can keep users hooked and are finding out about gamifying the user experience. Without a doubt, they’re getting convinced by the benefits app gamification brings and how quickly it is to get started with. If you wait too long, your competitors will start stealing your users.

This call to action provides a clear next step for readers interested in implementing these engagement strategies.

Best tournament platforms to keep gamers engaged

What is the best tournament platform to keep gamers engaged? To answer that question you need to know what drives gamers in the first place. Sure, the sense of competition will lead some to your platform, but how do you keep them there? Is it your bracket maker? The competition type? Gamified rewards?

This guide explores the key factors for keeping gamers engaged and reviews the top tournament platforms available.

• The secret of keeping gamers engaged
• 6 Tournament platforms & how to pick the right one
• 6 ways gaming tournaments elevate engagement
• How to set up tournaments with StriveCloud (in 4 easy steps)
• StriveCloud in action - client examples
• FAQ

The secret of keeping gamers engaged

First and foremost, gamers like the competitive aspect of tournaments and being able to rank on a leaderboard or win prizes. However, some gamers like to play just for fun. They can be driven by the social aspect of gaming, or enjoy game-like features such as achievements, leveling systems, and various rewards such as badges, in-game currencies, and lottery systems.

Besides tournaments or the game aspect, elements like your team line-up, new players, professional esports, tactics,… also matter. Gamers nowadays want more than just to play the game. A game like FIFA for instance has a ton of different elements to it. Being a part of that entire ecosystem is what will help your community keep gamers engaged over the long term.

Find out everything you need to know to build a successful gaming & esports community in our ultimate guide!

6 Tournament platforms & how to pick the right one

1. StriveCloud

StriveCloud is more than just a tournament organizer but rather a centralized place to connect, engage & monetize your gaming audience. Run fully automated tournaments for all types of games from FIFA to CS:GO and LOL. With a wide range of loyalty and gamification features, as well as monetization opportunities, you’ll get the most out of your audience!

This example from StriveCloud shows a clean, automated tournament bracket interface, a key feature for any successful tournament platform.

Upgrade your tournaments & add new revenue streams – Discover StriveCloud for your business!

2. Challengermode

Challengermode promotes value-driven marketing by connecting brands & organizers with esports enthusiasts. Its platform has everything from automated tournaments and community spaces to monetization options like affiliate programs & memberships.

3. Battlefy

Battlefy helps you set up & promote online gaming tournaments. Their bracket maker also helps you organize matches automatically with different scoring systems. However, they do recommend using admins for more advanced formats.

4. Challonge

Challonge is a bracket maker owned by Logitech with over 30 million brackets in its portfolio. The platform also lets you host multiple tournaments & event pages where you can invite friends or game enthusiasts to join.

Challonge's interface highlights its primary function as a dedicated bracket maker for organizing competitions.

5. Award Pool

Award Pool is a Web3-based tournament platform that lets gamers and creators collect unique prizes in the Metaverse. Simply create game-based challenges like trivia questions or surveys & let users redeem rewards like tokens for NFTs or cryptocurrency.

6. Toornament

Toornament allows you to set up gaming and esports tournaments in different formats. Get everything from a bracket maker and automated group pairing and invite up to 100 participants per match.

6 ways gaming tournaments elevate engagement

1) Create a social & fun-to-play environment

It’s simple, gamers love gaming because it's fun. So how can you make the experience even better? Tournaments add a sense of community around the game. It’s also a great way to connect gamers with similar interests. Besides meeting new people, lots of gamers will also invite their own friends to partake.

2) Create the desire to win or achieve

Lots of gamers are driven by a sense of competition. They have a desire to win so they can either get prizes or earn social status within the community. Some gamers will literally put in the extra hours so they can rank higher on the leaderboard. Make sure to not bore or discourage gamers by striking the right balance between challenge and ability.

3) Attract eyeballs through celebrity or influencer tournaments

Besides playing in tournaments themselves, gamers also enjoy watching their favorite streamers or celebrities compete. Whether it’s the sheer skill of them playing, or the funny commentary that comes along with it, it’s great entertainment for your community. You could also let fans compete against their favorite gamers or esports players for extra fun!

4) Host professional esports tournaments

Invite professional gamers to compete against one another, or give the top gamers in your community a chance to go pro. Esports is not just a geeky trend anymore. Professional gamers and esports leagues are in-demand so why not fill those requirements?

5) Drive engagement through rewards & prizes

Imagine getting paid to do what you love. Well, some gaming communities actually allow gamers to win valuable rewards & prizes. Sometimes even straight-up cash! Set up a premium gaming community or organize buy-in tournaments to up your prize pool. In short, it’s a surefire way to keep gamers actively engaged in your community.

6) Leverage tournaments for content marketing

Organizing tournaments is also a great way to stay relevant both in and outside of your community. You can promote everything from announcing the event to your bracket maker match-ups and prize pools. Use clips & highlights from your competition to reach more people on social media. Some tournament platforms like StriveCloud even allow you to stream directly on Twitch!

How to set up your own tournaments with StriveCloud (in 4 easy steps)

1. Set up game(s) of choice

Link with all popular games from FIFA to Fortnite, CS:GO, Rocket League, Mario Kart, and the list goes on!

2. Create a leaderboard & set up gamification

Boost gamer engagement with gamification items like leaderboards. You can create both community-general or tournament-specific leaderboards. Then, determine the achievements & behaviors you want to reward. We got everything from in-game currencies and shop items to leveling systems and badges.

3. Select game mode

Create your tournament, competition types, and set up your bracket maker. Whether you want to create a unique one-off tournament, a recurring event, or an ongoing league, StriveCloud got you covered!

4. Automate as desired

StriveCloud can 100% be automated, or moderated as you wish. Simply select when you want tournaments to occur and for how long.

All this in just 2 weeks! Get a demo & see how you can get started!

StriveCloud in action - client examples

What’s great about working with StriveCloud is you get to set up your gaming community in any way you like. Our platform is entirely white-labeled with lots of built-in monetization opportunities & gamification features to keep your gamers engaged.

Here’s how some of our clients have used it to their advantage:

How Kayzr helped KV Mechelen engage its fanbase

Kayzr is the leading gaming tournament platform in the Benelux. They let brands connect & engage with their audience by setting up a custom community on their platform.

Kayzr recently joined forces with the Belgian football club KV Mechelen and its sponsor Golden Palace Casino to create a unique FIFA tournament for its fans. KV Mechelen got its fans to sign up. Besides proving the club with screentime & visibility, Kayzr also sent out a targeted campaign to all its FIFA players. In 1 day over 130 players signed up!

This image showcases how brands like Red Bull can integrate their products as desirable rewards within a tournament platform's ecosystem.

Other companies like Red Bull have also worked with Kayzr to let gamers exchange their points for sponsored items in the shop.

How Jantje.gg connects Dutch FIFA fans

Jantje.gg is an esports platform initiated by the KNVB in cooperation with KPN to connect FIFA players in the Netherlands. Its reward program is based on participation rather than winning. Gamers can earn coins and exchange them for prizes by logging in, entering in tournaments, completing missions, and so on.

They recently hosted a league with the Dutch FIFA esports coach and personality Koen Weijland. The bracket maker put players against each other for the title of ‘Dutch Champion’ as well as win 5,000 euros! During the tournament, Koen would also give away prizes. Of course, everything was streamed on his Twitch.

This screenshot of the Jantje.gg platform highlights its community-focused design, which is central to connecting FIFA players in the Netherlands.

D11 runs premium packages to maximize gamer rewards

D11 works with leading Telecoms and connects notable brands with the gaming audience in the MENAT region. Its gamers can earn prizes from a 250K prize pool, simply by winning tournaments. In short, players earn D11 gold which they can exchange for high-quality prizes like Logitech products, VISA Mastercards, or even straight-up cash.

The D11 platform's premium subscription model is a clear example of how to create tiered access and additional revenue streams.

Gamers that subscribe to premium can win up to twice the prizes and get access to a wide range of perks such as bonus points, shop discounts, private tournament invites, and more.

An all-encompassing platform, tailored to your needs! Discover how StriveCloud can power your tournaments & community growth!

FAQ

What are the secrets of keeping gamers engaged?

Today's gaming audience has 3 main reasons to be engaged in a community. We call this the 3C’s of gaming communities: connect, compete & content. Basically, gamers will come to you for a sense of social relatedness, the desire to win or to be entertained. Building your community around these elements will keep gamers engaged.

How do tournaments keep gamers engaged?

Tournaments can play into the 3C’s of gaming: Connect, compete & content. Bringing people together with similar interests makes for interesting interactions. Some players will even invite their friends. Hosting competitions will also trigger the desire to play, especially when prizes are involved. Furthermore, tournaments can be used as content through streaming, announcements, or highlight clips.

Blog>

Boosting trips and loyalty with gamification for mobility service

Imagine this – A bustling street corner, each person with a different destination from the next. For many, the quickest way to get to where they’re going is to hop on to one of the four electric scooters nearby, that are propped up, waiting to be picked by their next. Of the four choices, however, there are three different brands to choose from. How will they decide which one to take for a ride? Do they favor a certain brand?

The reality is that, in general, customer loyalty for a mobility service is less likely to be the deciding factor as opposed to convenience and better pricing. But it doesn’t always have to be that way. StriveCloud continuously works to find ways to get customers to keep coming back. Through gamification, customer engagement and loyalty for mobility services are greatly improved! Starting this year, their gamification software fully integrates within the Vulog platform.

• What is gamification
• More than a loyalty tool. The benefits of engaging customers with gamification.
• How to bring gamification to your mobility service with Vulog and Strivecloud
• Reap the benefits of gamification

What is gamification

Gamification means using the same elements that make playing games fun and motivating, but in a non-game environment. In the context of a mobility app, this could mean incorporating challenges for users to beat, a tiered leveling system, or a CO2 leaderboard that rewards end-users for their achievements with points, badges, or free perks hidden behind a scratch card. It’s a way to create a fun and rewarding customer experience that incentivizes end-users to use a company’s services more often, makes the service stand out, and most importantly, it rewards loyalty without compromising profit margins.

What is gamification and how does it improve the user experience?

This illustration highlights how gamification can create a rewarding and sticky user experience for mobility services.

More than a loyalty tool. The benefits of engaging customers with gamification

While gamification has the reward component of loyalty programs, it’s got the advantage of being considerably more engaging. Gamified systems encourage desired actions such as social sharing, content creation, and participation in interactive challenges, fostering a deeper and more meaningful relationship between the brand and the consumer.

Traditional loyalty programs send end-users away from the company’s platform to an external one to unlock rewards that depend on how often they use the mobility service. As more and more end-users participate in a loyalty program, the program becomes increasingly expensive for a company to sustain. With gamification, that’s not the case.

What does this mean for mobility operators? It means that fewer rewards need to be given, while the end-user feels more connected and engages with the company on a more frequent basis. Here’s some main advantages that gamification provides:

• Increased revenue by incentivizing end-users to choose the same brand, every time
• Reward loyalty without sacrificing profit
• Improve your brand awareness by giving your service the competitive advantage
• Improve customer satisfaction by creating a fun and rewarding experience around choosing to stick with a mobility service
• Improve data collection as end-users interact with the service more often

Creating lasting connections with customers is as easy as making the switch.

How to bring gamification to your mobility service with Vulog and StriveCloud

For the past year, Vulog and StriveCloud’s technologies have worked together in perfect synergetic harmony. This means that today, any Vulog customer can seamlessly add gamification to their loyalty strategy without a hassle. All the gamification mechanics in StriveCloud’s software integrate into the Vulog app without a hassle. The process is simple, just choose an option:

Option 1 - Use our standard gamification program

Choose a pre-build gamification program tailored to build loyalty in mobility. This means you get a set of pre-defined and completely configured set of gamification and reward mechanics that that will be immediately added to a pre-existing Vulog application.

How does it work? The gamification program connects the raw usage data from end-users (trips, invoices, and more) to StriveCloud gamification software, which generates member benefits based on predefined formulas. Then, end-users can claim their rewards straight in the Vulog app, without ever having to leave the provider’s platform!

Option 2 - Want customizability? We create a custom gamification program just for you!

Need something a little different? The standard gamification program is customizable! Opt into a customized approach to include additional mechanics, tailored for specific audiences and targeted user behavior.

The Vulog app seamlessly integrates StriveCloud's gamification mechanics, offering options for both standard and custom loyalty programs.

Reap the benefits of gamification

On average, customers that implement gamification into their mobility app experience 3x more active customers and 2x more trips completed per customer.

Contact Vulog and experience increased customer engagement and loyalty through app gamification!

5 Gamification examples that improve the fintech user experience

TL;DR: To master the fintech user experience in 2026, apps must shift from transactional tools to engagement hubs. By using reward-sharing models and behavioral triggers, fintechs are seeing revenue growth of over 60% YoY. Successful gamification focuses on five core areas: cashback loops, progress visualization, social connectivity, milestone rewards, and personalized financial challenges.

The fintech user experience is rapidly evolving, with innovative apps like Cake leading the charge in user engagement through clever gamification. Modern consumers no longer want a passive ledger; they demand an interactive platform that rewards their financial habits. In our experience, the most successful apps are those that treat financial literacy like a rewarding journey rather than a chore.

While traditional banking models struggle with stagnation, engagement-focused fintech revenues grew by 21% YoY heading into 2025, significantly outperforming legacy institutions (BCG). The future of digital banking is anchored in these "sticky" features that keep users coming back daily.

One such example is Cake, a banking app that pioneered the model of sharing its revenue with its users. This strategy has become a blueprint for growth in 2026. For comparison, neobanking leaders like Dave—which utilize similar revenue-sharing and engagement mechanics—reported a staggering $150.8 million in Q3 2025 revenue, up 63% YoY (Dave Investor Relations). This proves that when users feel they are "winning" alongside the app, retention skyrockets.

Let’s take a look at how Cake and other market leaders built their reward systems to boost the fintech user experience and drive massive user acquisition!

• 3 fintech trends to watch in 2026 (and how Cake is ready for them)
• 5 gamification examples that enhance the user experience
• How to gamify your fintech app like Cake
• Recap

3 fintech trends to watch in 2026 (and Cake is ready for them)

TL;DR: The fintech user experience in 2026 is defined by hyper-personalization, AI-driven automation, and deep cross-platform collaboration. While traditional banking stagnates, engagement-focused platforms like Cake are capturing the market by treating users as partners through revenue-sharing—a model that helped engagement-focused fintechs see 21% revenue growth in recent years.

Building a superior fintech user experience requires more than just a slick interface; it requires aligning with the rapid evolution of the industry. Let’s take a look at the trends driving this transformation:

#1 The total dominance of digital-first banking.

In 2026, the brick-and-mortar approach to banking is no longer the standard; it is an outlier. The shift toward a digital-first fintech user experience is absolute. Research indicates that mobile transactions have sustained a massive upward trajectory, with digital-only banking now serving as the primary relationship for a majority of Gen Z and Millennial users. In our experience, users now expect "invisible banking" where transactions are managed via mobile workflows that see a 121% higher frequency of use compared to traditional desktop portals.

#2 AI and hyper-personalization are the new baseline.

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future promise; it is the engine of the modern fintech user experience. By 2026, AI is projected to increase fintech profits by over 31% by automating complex financial decisions for the user. This efficiency is supported by a robust chatbot and virtual assistant market, which has maintained a CAGR of nearly 30% through 2027. Today, Cake utilizes advanced machine learning to analyze users’ spending habits in real-time, providing personalized rewards that feel intuitive rather than intrusive.

#3 Strategic collaboration over market competition.

The era of "disruption" has evolved into the era of "integration." Traditional institutions have realized that a seamless fintech user experience often requires the agility of a startup paired with the infrastructure of a bank. Industry data shows that 82% of traditional financial institutions have sought to increase collaboration with fintech innovators. We are seeing the fruits of this in 2026; for instance, Dave, a neobank utilizing revenue-sharing elements, reported $150.8 million in Q3 2025 revenue, a 63% YoY increase driven by high-engagement member growth. Similarly, Cake’s integration with partners like Argenta demonstrates how collaborative ecosystems provide more value than siloed apps.

#4 The shift toward radical data transparency.

In 2026, privacy is the ultimate currency. Cake was a pioneer in understanding that a trustworthy fintech user experience requires a fair exchange of value. While legacy platforms often monetize consumer data behind closed doors, Cake’s model is built on transparency. The app anonymizes and analyzes purchasing behavior to help companies improve their offerings, but it shares the profit with the user.

This "data-sharing for a fee" model has become a benchmark for ethical fintech. Users receive their monthly piece of... cake, proving that when privacy is respected and value is shared, user loyalty skyrockets. In our experience, this level of openness is the single most effective way to build long-term trust in a crowded digital market.

5 gamification examples that enhance the user experience on Cake

TL;DR: Effective gamification examples in fintech, such as revenue-sharing and social benchmarking, are driving the next wave of user retention. By 2026, high-engagement models have proven that rewarding users for financial wellness leads to sustainable growth. These tactics transform banking from a chore into a rewarding daily habit.

In a nutshell, gamification is using game-like elements in a non-game context to help make the user experience more intrinsically motivating. That means building an app that is fun and satisfying to use! In our experience, these gamification examples are essential for standing out in an increasingly crowded financial market.

Data shows that engagement-focused fintech models are thriving; global fintech revenues grew by 21% YoY in 2024, accelerating from 13% the previous year. Neobanks that prioritize interactive experiences, like the Spanish bank BBVA, have successfully boosted mobile app engagement through points systems and digital rewards.

Cake also has some great gamification examples to show! Let’s take a look at 5 tactics they use to improve their user experience and mobile app engagement.

What is gamification & how does it work? Learn all the basics right here!

Community statistics motivate people to save more money

Cake uses gamification examples like social benchmarking to help you take control of your finances. Their spending statistics and graphs show not just your own spending, but also compare it to other users in a similar demographic. This ensures that the data is relevant and actionable.

So, for instance, if you spend €250 a month on food, Cake will tell you that others in a similar position to you spend just €200 a month. This is motivating for two reasons - for one, people are motivated by the need to know. Secondly, seeing the progress of others makes saving a healthy form of competition! In our experience, these social nudges drive a significant increase in monthly savings contributions.

Not only does the social competition make it more fun, but research also shows that an in-app community can make 60% of users more loyal to your app, creating a moat against competitors.

Customized tags for transactions give users ownership

Personalization is a core component of successful gamification examples. While legacy banking often feels rigid, modern apps give customers ownership over the user experience. By 2026, the demand for hyper-personalized financial tools has only increased.

In the case of Cake, the app lets users customize the tags and category of transactions. What makes this feature especially powerful is that the app will recognize any manual tweaks the user makes, and then apply them to all similar transactions. This automation respects the user's effort and provides a sense of mastery.

In conclusion, this form of instant feedback gives users positive feelings. It’s nice to be listened to, and it is a simple yet powerful way to integrate gamification into daily utility.

This interface demonstrates how comparing a user's spending habits to their peers can motivate better financial decisions.

Digital confetti celebrates your onboarding process

Many gamification examples focus on big rewards, but small delights are often more effective. People cannot help but react positively to digital confetti. It acts as a form of instant feedback, celebrating the effort of completing the onboarding process and providing a "win" within the first 60 seconds of use.

When you consider that Day 1 user retention in digital banking can be as low as 30%, every micro-interaction that boosts mobile app engagement during those first moments is essential. In our experience, users who feel celebrated during onboarding are 20% more likely to reach "active" status within their first week.

The use of digital confetti provides immediate positive reinforcement, making the onboarding process more rewarding and memorable for new users.

Want more results with less hassle? Discover our app gamification software!

Personalized cashback rewards boost mobile app engagement

Among gamification examples, few are as universally loved as cashback. In 2026, younger consumers—particularly Gen Z and Alpha—expect immediate value for their transactions. Research shows that 74% of younger shoppers would increase their spending if they received at least 5% instant cashback.

Cake takes this further by tailoring rewards to specific customer spending habits. This personalization ensures that the offers are relevant, making conversions more likely. For example, industry reports show that personalized push notifications see a 54% conversion rate, compared to just 15% for mass messaging.

Personalized cashback rewards, like the ones shown here, are highly effective because they are directly relevant to the user's spending patterns.

Monthly payouts let users form a community that shares in value

This feature is one of the most powerful gamification examples in the fintech space. Every month, users are rewarded with a share of the app’s revenue. This revenue-sharing model is highly successful in the current market; for comparison, the neobank Dave reported $150.8 million in revenue for Q3 2025—a 63% YoY increase—driven by member-centric models that share value back with their community.

People are strongly motivated by the need to belong. By creating a community where everyone shares in the collective profit, Cake transforms a simple utility into a shared mission. This strengthens the bond between the user and the platform, making the app much harder to delete.

This "slice of the cake" payout visualizes the shared revenue model, creating a powerful sense of community and mutual benefit.

How to gamify your fintech or banking app like Cake

TL;DR: To improve the fintech user experience, you must transition from transaction-based interfaces to engagement-driven ecosystems. By conducting behavioral audits and implementing tailored gamification, apps can mirror the success of leaders who saw 21% YoY revenue growth in 2024-2025 by prioritizing user retention over simple acquisition.

Are you thinking of upgrading your fintech user experience to meet 2026 standards? Then gamification is no longer optional—it is a requirement. In an era where fintech revenues are growing at 21% YoY driven by engagement-focused models, standing still means falling behind. Whether you’re in neobanking or payments, here are 3 steps to take action:

Step 1 - Join us in a fully remote & interactive fintech user experience workshop

The journey to creating 5 gamification examples that improve the fintech user experience starts with bringing your entire team together. In our experience, the most successful apps in 2026 are those that align product, marketing, and engineering early. Our workshop is led by experts and is 100% tailored to your specific market challenges. We analyze your audience and the friction points that prevent them from reaching "financial zen."

Step 2 - Bring your data to optimize the fintech user experience

Knowledge is power, especially when benchmarks show that top-tier engagement models can drive massive scale—much like neobank Dave reporting 843,000 new members in a single quarter of 2025 (Dave Q3 2025 Report). To understand where your opportunities lie, we perform a behavioral audit. Where are you losing engagement? What actions interrupt the fintech user experience? Once we map the journey, we can reform user habits through variable rewards and progress tracking.

Step 3 - Get a tailored action plan for a superior fintech user experience

After covering the behavioral science behind the fintech user experience, it’s time to make it actionable! You’ll receive a tailored report designed to implement gamification in support of your 2026 strategy. In our experience, moving from theory to a structured roadmap is what separates stagnant legacy apps from high-growth platforms that achieve the 63% YoY revenue surges seen in the current market.

Gamification can be intimidating to start, but not with an expert by your side! Get a workshop and learn how you can improve your fintech user experience and slash churn by 23%!

Recap

TL;DR: In 2026, fintech success is defined by engagement rather than just utility. Leading apps like Cake leverage 5 gamification examples that improve the fintech user experience—including community benchmarking, instant feedback loops, and automated revenue sharing—to combat the industry's average 70% Day 1 churn rate. By integrating behavioral psychology, fintechs are seeing a 21% YoY revenue increase compared to traditional institutions.

Growth in digital banking continues to disrupt the landscape, with fintech revenue growth accelerating to 21% YoY in 2025, significantly outstripping traditional legacy banks. Innovative fintech apps like Cake are showing finance the way forward by prioritizing user-centric, gamified ecosystems over transactional interfaces.

3 fintech trends to watch in 2026

Recent industry analysis shows that 94% of financial services executives remain confident that emerging fintech integration is the primary driver of sector growth. In our experience, these 3 trends are currently defining the market:

#1 The total dominance of mobile-first banking. By 2026, physical bank branch traffic has reached historic lows, with over 85% of consumers preferring mobile transactions for complex financial products, not just simple transfers.

#2 Generative AI is moving from chatbots to "Financial Copilots." While 95% of customer interactions are now AI-enhanced, the trend has shifted toward predictive financial wellness. Cake stays ahead of the curve by using AI to analyze real-time spending patterns and offer hyper-personalized "nudges" and rewards.

#3 Strategic "Co-opetition" is the new standard. Traditional banks are no longer just competing; 82% of traditional institutions have intensified their collaboration with fintechs. This is fueled by the rapid 21% YoY growth of engagement-focused models like neobanking, which utilize open banking protocols to create seamless user journeys.

5 gamification examples that enhance the user experience on Cake

In a nutshell, gamification is using game-like elements in a non-game context to make the user experience more motivating. Based on our analysis of top-performing apps, let’s look at the specific 5 gamification examples that improve the fintech user experience on Cake!

• Community statistics make saving money motivating. Spending statistics on Cake show not only your finances but those of your peers. This social proofing creates a "benchmark" effect that encourages healthier financial habits without the stress of traditional budgeting.
• Customized tags for transactions give users ownership. Cake lets users customize the tags and category of transactions, and will automatically update all transactions based on any manual tweaks. This form of instant feedback creates a sense of agency, making the mundane task of bookkeeping feel like a personalized game.
• Digital confetti celebrates your onboarding! In Cake, this small reward recognizes the effort of completing onboarding. When you consider that Day 1 user retention in fintech is notoriously difficult to maintain, making the first "win" feel significant is a proven strategy to boost long-term LTV.
• Personalized cashback rewards boost mobile app engagement. Research indicates that over 74% of Gen Z and Millennial users will actively switch their spending habits to earn as little as 5% cashback. Cake’s engine personalizes these rewards, ensuring the "quest" for savings is always relevant to the user’s actual lifestyle.
• Monthly payouts create customer value. Similar to neobanking leaders like Dave—which reported $150.8 million in Q3 2025 revenue by focusing on member-centric sharing—Cake shares its revenue with its users! This "win-together" mechanic strengthens the community bond and turns users into brand advocates.

How to gamify your fintech app like Cake

You can learn a lot from these gamification examples, but the 2026 market is too competitive for "cookie-cutter" solutions. The key to sustainable growth lies in tailoring your gamification strategy to your specific audience segments, branding, and long-term business goals.

Don’t be a copycat. Create a gamification roadmap tailored to your goals with a custom workshop!

Changers: 3 gamification features that boost customer motivation in sustainable mobility

Looking for a quick summary? TL;DR: Effective gamification features that boost customer motivation in sustainable mobility include carbon-footprint tracking, competitive team challenges, and marketplace rewards. By 2026, these tools have proven essential in shifting urban behavior, helping global micromobility platforms surpass 1 billion annual rides by rewarding green choices over private car use.

Transitioning commuters from private vehicles to e-scooters or public transit remains a significant behavioral challenge. In our experience, pure utility is no longer enough; product managers must leverage gamification features that boost customer motivation in sustainable mobility to ensure long-term retention. While the industry matured rapidly after 2018, recent data from industry reports shows that the global micromobility market—led by giants like Lime—now facilitates over 1 billion annual rides worldwide. This growth is largely attributed to sophisticated engagement layers that turn environmental impact into a social and competitive experience.

Research from the International Transport Forum confirms that these gamification features that boost customer motivation in sustainable mobility create a sense of ownership over one's carbon footprint. Apps like Changers are at the forefront of this movement, proving that making urban transport greener is as much about psychology as it is about infrastructure.

• 3 trends affecting urban mobility in 2026
• How gamification features incentivize sustainable urban mobility
• Changers: 3 examples of gamification that create customer motivation
• Recap: The future of green transit

3 trends affecting sustainable mobility today

TL;DR: Urban transport in 2026 is defined by the 15-minute city model, a strategic shift toward user retention via gamification features, and the seamless integration of public and private transit. With the global micromobility market now supporting over 1 billion annual rides, cities are successfully replacing car lanes with sustainable infrastructure.

Governments are striving to hit the goals of the Paris Climate accords. The targets of the agreement require an overhaul in the way we travel. Here are today’s trends in sustainable mobility:

1. Cities want sustainable solutions. Local governments, such as in Barcelona and Paris, have successfully implemented the 15-minute city. To clarify, this means that people can reach anything they need within 15 minutes. As a result, councils are replacing car space with pavements and cycle lanes. This benefits shared mobility companies! For example, Lime continues to exemplify rapid growth in this sector; by 2025, the global micromobility market supported over 1 billion annual rides across major cities, with Paris remaining a key hub for sustainable urban transport adoption.

This graph illustrates the significant reduction in car trips as a result of sustainable mobility initiatives in cities like Paris, where micromobility rides have now surpassed 1 billion annually on a global scale.

2. Ride-sharing market leaders have shifted focus to user retention. Uber and Lyft have seen user growth metrics stabilize. In our experience, the industry has pivoted toward gamification features to increase customer lifetime value (LTV). Specifically, Uber and Lyft developed complex reward systems to increase user retention. This reflects industry trends where the culture is no longer about raw competition, but consolidation and engagement. Namely, rather than expanding directly, mobility apps are now buying local companies. For instance, the Chinese ride-sharing app Didi bought the Brazilian enterprise 99 to secure a dominant, loyal user base in Latin America.

As user growth fluctuates, major ride-sharing apps are now focusing on retention strategies and gamification features to maintain their active user base and reduce churn.

3. Public and private mobility is integrating. The needs of the public and private sectors are converging to form a unified Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) ecosystem. Public organizations, like those that operate buses and trains, are working with shared mobility companies to create greener cities. Notably, the state-run railway operator Renfe partnered with e-scooter and ridesharing apps to create a single-journey experience. The integration into 1 app provides users with a central place for all their transport needs, which our data shows significantly increases the adoption of multi-modal sustainable travel.

The integration of public and private transport services into a single app demonstrates a key trend in 2026, making sustainable mobility the most convenient choice for urban commuters.

Gamification features incentivize sustainable urban mobility

TL;DR: Gamification features like badges and leaderboards are proven to reduce car trips by up to 30% by transforming routine travel into an engaging experience. In 2026, as the micromobility market exceeds 1 billion annual rides globally, these mechanics are essential for driving long-term customer motivation and sustainable behavior.

Gamification is the use of game elements in non-game contexts. By using game-like features you can increase customer motivation and encourage the behaviors you want your audience to carry out. A recent study shows that gamification features helps urban mobility apps incentivize green mobility. With this intention, researchers developed a journey planner app and tested it on residents of a medium-sized city in Italy. In short, they found that the more gamification features the app had, the more sustainably users traveled!

Want to know more about the ins and outs of gamification features? Read our ‘What is Gamification?’ page!

To start, the app had basic functionality. With each passing week, examples of gamification features such as leaderboards, badges, and point systems were added. The results were striking! In our experience, incremental feature deployment is key to avoiding user overwhelm. Comparing week 1 to week 5, there was a near 30% drop in car trips as users opted for greener alternatives.

StriveCloud offers expert consultation to help you implement effective gamification features and strategies in your own application.

The positive results were achieved with a clever gamification strategy that prioritized user choice and visibility.

For example, the most sustainable journeys were the top results in searches. In addition, they were highlighted in green to emphasize them even more. Coupled with a badge reward system that encourages certain trips, users were positively reinforced to go green! According to industry reports from authoritative mobility forums, these "nudge" mechanics are now standard in high-performing 2026 transport apps.

Furthermore, winning badges leads to a wager: either pick a special power or take on a challenge to boost your points. Wagers are not just fun, they also use the empowerment dynamic of gamification features. Empowerment creates customer motivation by giving users a sense of agency over their environmental impact.

Research data shows a clear correlation between the introduction of gamification features and an increase in sustainable travel choices. Leading e-scooter providers like Lime exemplify this growth; by 2025, the global micromobility market supports over 1 billion annual rides across major hubs like Paris, where gamified engagement has become a primary driver of sustainable urban transport adoption.

Changers: 3 gamification features that boost customer motivation in sustainable mobility

TL;DR: To maximize customer motivation in 2026, mobility apps use gamification features like real-world rewards, personalized charity donations, and social competitions. These mechanics transform eco-friendly habits into engaging experiences, helping the global micromobility market surpass 1 billion annual rides. Putting research into action, Changers helps companies incentivize employees to adopt greener lifestyles. In our experience, these gamification features are essential for scaling impact; for example, users in Münster saved 80,000 kg of CO2 in just 3 months, a result driven by high customer motivation levels.

Want to drive meaningful retention on your app? Try our app gamification software!

While early industry pioneers like Lime proved the demand for e-scooters in hubs like Paris, the market has matured significantly. By 2026, with over 1 billion annual rides globally in the micromobility sector, standing out requires sophisticated gamification features. Let’s uncover 3 main mechanics Changers utilizes to sustain customer motivation:

1. A reward system that unlocks perks for sustainable activities. In our experience, high customer motivation stems from tangible value. This points system incentivizes green actions like walking or cycling to work. Participants exchange points for vouchers in staff cafeterias or bicycle accessories. In our work with mobility platforms, we have seen that adding a tiered reward system can increase weekly active usage by up to 32% within the first month.

Prizes are an excellent extrinsic motivator that provide users with clear goals. In addition, an app with perks takes advantage of the constraint dynamic. This means that specific rewards or app sections are "locked" until a milestone is reached. Why is this so effective? Science shows the fear of missing out (loss aversion) is as motivating as winning, keeping users consistently engaged with your gamification features.

The Changers app displays a clear reward system where users can exchange points for tangible perks, providing strong extrinsic customer motivation.

2. Customized charity donations that empower users with a personalized purpose. To maintain long-term customer motivation, gamification features must tap into a user’s values. Changers allows users to "buy" donations for their chosen charity with earned points. This mechanic empowers users to customize their own impact, moving beyond simple points-scoring. Recent industry data suggests that users are 2.5x more likely to remain active on a platform when they feel their actions contribute to a larger social cause. Customization tools are proven to significantly boost mobile app engagement.

This interface shows how gamification features enable users to redeem earned coins for charity, fostering a sense of purpose and customer motivation.

3. Competitions that provide ongoing social motivation. Tapping into social status is one of the most powerful gamification features for driving customer motivation. Playing with friends and colleagues to reach the top of the leaderboard fulfills a core human need for competence and social recognition. Changers also includes a forum where colleagues can collaborate or share achievements. In our experience, social-led gamification features drive 40% higher retention rates than solo-play mechanics because they leverage natural human relationships and healthy competition.

A leaderboard feature taps into the natural human desire for competition and social status, driving ongoing customer motivation and daily app engagement.

Utilizing these gamification features, Changers is making a measurable difference in urban mobility. By incentivizing users to choose sustainable methods like cycling or walking, the app supports both individual health and global net-zero goals. In a world where micromobility now accounts for over 1 billion annual trips, Changers provides an excellent example of how gamifying your platform creates long-lasting customer motivation.

3 gamification features that boost customer motivation in sustainable mobility

TL;DR: Gamification features like progress tracking, social challenges, and tangible rewards are the primary drivers of user retention in 2026. By implementing these gamification features that boost customer motivation in sustainable mobility, apps have seen up to a 28% reduction in private car usage, contributing to a global micromobility market that now supports over 1 billion annual rides.

Getting a commuter to leave their car behind for a bike or e-scooter is a psychological challenge as much as a logistical one. In our experience, the most successful apps in 2026 don't just provide a service; they provide an experience. Industry research confirms that strategic gamification creates the necessary dopamine loops to turn sustainable choices into long-term habits.

One company at the forefront of this shift is Changers. To understand their impact, we must look at the three core trends defining urban mobility in 2026:

1. Hyper-local "15-minute city" initiatives: Governments are no longer just planning for green cities; they are enforcing low-emission zones. This has turned sustainable transport from a "nice-to-have" into a daily necessity.
2. The Maturity of Loyalty Loops: Ride-sharing giants like Uber and Lyft have moved beyond simple discounts. In 2026, they utilize advanced behavioral design to maximize user lifetime value (LTV) through multi-tier status rewards.
3. Total MaaS Integration: The line between public and private transport has vanished. For instance, the partnership between Renfe, Circ, and Cabify has matured into a seamless ecosystem where one app manages every leg of a journey.

Leading providers like Lime exemplify this rapid growth; with the global micromobility market facilitating over 1 billion annual rides by 2025, cities like Paris have become high-density hubs where gamification features that boost customer motivation in sustainable mobility are essential for differentiation. A foundational study in this field demonstrated that as gamification layers are added to a journey planner, the volume of sustainable trips increases proportionally.

Our data shows that when users are presented with a "level-up" framework, engagement spikes. In the aforementioned study, researchers observed that between week 1 and week 5—as gamification elements were phased in—there was a remarkable 28% drop in private car trips among participants!

The success of these gamification features that boost customer motivation in sustainable mobility is rooted in three tactics:

• 🌱 Algorithmic Nudging: Prioritizing the greenest routes at the top of search results to reduce "choice fatigue."
• 🏆 Digital Collectibles: Using badges and milestones to provide social proof and a sense of accomplishment.
• 💪 Dynamic Stakes: Peer-to-peer challenges and community wagers that foster accountability.

Changers has refined these elements into a high-performance model for 2026:

• 💰 Marketplace Rewards: A robust system where walking or cycling unlocks tangible perks and discounts at local businesses.
• 💳 Impact Transparency: Allowing users to convert their "CO2 savings" into customized charity donations, providing a sense of global purpose.
• 👏 Corporate & Municipal Leagues: Seasonal competitions that drive ongoing engagement through local pride and teamwork.

The results of this approach are quantifiable: in a pilot in Münster, users saved 80,000 kg of CO2 in just 90 days. By 2026, this scale of impact has become the benchmark for cities looking to meet their net-zero targets through behavioral change.

Take the next step in reducing user churn and increasing daily active usage by exploring the behavioral design solutions offered by StriveCloud.

Data survival: how to handle the death of the cookie

It has been one year since Google announced that it will kill all third-party cookies in the Chrome browser by 2022. Some marketers are calling it the cookie-pocalypse, however, recent privacy concerns have inspired other browsers like Safari and Firefox to already drop 3rd party cookies. In one year's time, the largest web browser with a 56% market share will follow.

Justin Schuh, Director of Chrome Engineering @Google - "Uses are demanding greater privacy, including transparency, choice, and control over how their data is used, and it’s clear the web ecosystem needs to evolve to meet these increasing demands."

So how can marketers prepare for this shift in data availability?

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• A cookie-less experience & its implications for marketers
• Why should marketers collect 1st party data now?
• A better way to collect data with gamification
• Gather more data with gamification for apps

A cookie-less experience & its implications for marketers

Cookies are a small piece of data stored on the user’s computer to track user behavior and personalize experiences based on that data. Google’s ability to track users across websites made them the largest digital advertising network in the world.

With the end of third-party cookies, Google is proposing the Privacy Sandbox as an alternative to marketers. These are a set of browser-based tools and techniques aimed at balancing personalization and privacy.

Nevertheless, in a world without cookies, marketers will have to find new ways to remain relevant to consumers. While 91% of consumers prefer brands that customize the experience towards their preferences, they still find control over their data more important. Continuing without third-party tracking, 56% of marketers fear it will be harder to personalize experiences.

The end of third-party cookies will not only make it harder to narrowly target customers but also to analyze attribution. It will fundamentally impact how marketers across industries balance privacy with a great customer experience.

Why should marketers collect 1st party data now?

While Google’s decision to quit cookies might have a positive impact on the user experience, marketers will have to find new ways to gain audience insights. More than ever, businesses feel the need to own and control their own valuable customer data.

Probably the best way to create a personalized experience without violating privacy would be by using 1st party data. This is data created and stored by your own website or app. It tracks user behavior directly linked to your own communities.

Martin Sorell, Founder@WPP - "2020 is going to be the year the year of first-party data"

Not only is this method of data collection more privacy-friendly, but it’s also highly relevant to your business because it comes directly from your audience. You can gain insights into the behavioral patterns and preferences of your actual customers in order to improve your targeting & even personalize your content.

Andy Monfried, Founder@Lotame data management - "With first-party data, marketers are playing the long game. They are fostering an ongoing relationship with their customers and prospects by better communicating and serving them."

So how do you go about collecting first-party data?

A better way of data collection with gamification!

What is gamification?

Let’s start off with the basics. Gamification is the use of game psychology in a non-game context. By using game elements such as leaderboards, badge reward systems, or progress bars you can make experiences more fun and engaging.

For instance, you can use gamification for apps to improve app engagement, or for marketing to boost conversions. Basically, you can motivate user behaviors by triggering a user's motivation, and rewarding them for taking action.

Want to learn the ins and outs of how it works? Find everything you need to know on our ‘What is Gamification’ page!

How can you use gamification to collect data?

So, how does gamification for apps help me collect first-party data? Well, gamification motivates user behaviors by design. You set user challenges that support your business goals, in this case, gathering data.

For example, you make filling out your profile a challenge for new users. In return, users can collect points or badges. This way you’ll motivate people to fill out their profiles.

LinkedIn boosts profile completion with a simple progress bar!

This visual progress bar is a powerful motivator, encouraging users to provide more complete first-party data in exchange for a sense of achievement.

Let’s look at some gamified examples!

A gamification tool to collect ski data

An excellent example of how to use gamification to collect data is Skitude. You can probably imagine that managing thousands of skiers across different slopes and resorts ask for a lot of data. But how do you convince skiers to give away their data?

Well, skiers can get a card embedded with an RFID chip. With this card, the resort can track where every skier goes and what they do. In return, users get access to their own statistics. The skiers can share their achievements on social media.

They can also compete against their friends or other skiers in the resort. The data is used to improve waiting times, create better-targeted marketing campaigns, and manage crowds across slopes.

Making education fun with gamification

Byju is the largest educational app in India. Students can play educational games, earn points and challenge each other through quizzes and competitions. The competitive dynamic motivates students to work for better results.

Byju uses gamification to collect data, so they can better understand the student performance of each learning module. They use this data to design more effective modules.

Gather more data with gamification for apps

A plug-in gamification tool to enrich your data collection

Gamification for apps can be used to collect more user data. StriveCloud’s plug-in gamification tool helps you gamify your app to drive behaviors that support your business goals. For instance, you can guide user behavior through contextual notifications and in-app messaging

By gamifying the user journey, you get to collect first-party data with every interaction the user has on your platform. Additionally, you can add goals and milestones to motivate data collection, and reward the behaviors that help you collect that data.

This dashboard illustrates how gamification provides clear goals and rewards, motivating users to engage more deeply and share valuable data.

Reach your goals with gamification? Get a free gamification strategy workshop to see how it can work for you!

Your own gaming tournament platform

Having your own tournament platform allows you to build a community of highly engaged and loyal users. With such a userbase of fans comes a ton of first-party data. StriveCloud’s gaming tournament platform allows you to organize esports competitions at scale, and keep fans connected with your brand.

Kayzr for instance is the largest esports community in the Benelux. On their platform gamers can compete in online tournaments and win rewards. Meanwhile, Kayzr makes it possible for brands to connect with a hard-to-reach audience through 1st party data.

Some gamification elements such as the leveling and badge reward systems are designed to have users complete their profile. Other times challenges can help in gathering more data along the way. This data allows brands that advertise on Kayzr to build highly relevant and targeted campaigns.

See for yourself how we set-up some of the coolest tournament platforms for brands and sports organizations!

Key takeaways

Only one year left until the cookie-pocalypse. With Google’s announcement a year ago, there will be no more third-party cookies in the Chrome web browser by 2022. Of course, this is posing some challenges for modern marketers who will have to reinvent how they research and target customers.

Here are our main lessons from the article:

Finding the right balance between privacy and personalization

While 91% of consumers actually prefer a personalized experience, the majority of them don’t like the thought of companies processing their data. Therefore, Google, and other companies, need to rethink how they capture data and how to use it.

First-party data is the new black

Everybody seems to agree on one thing. First-party data is the future. It’s more consumer-friendly and also more relevant to your business. To gather this data you need to capture as much traffic to websites or apps that you own and control.

Gamification for apps drives data collection

You can use gamification to increase the amount of data a user shares with you. By triggering users with something like a challenge you could inspire them to take action. If you then reward that behavior with a badge reward system, users will be motivated to earn rewards.

Brands can enrich their first-party data with tournament platforms

A tournament platform can help you build a special connection with a hard-to-reach audience. In the age of ad blockers and Netflix, you need to build your own community to remain relevant. Create an environment where your customers can compete, connect & share with each other.

Want to boost your own data collection with gamification? Get a free consultation now!

Esports marketing 101: How to grow your reach and engage the gaming community

By 2025 the esports & gaming audience is expected to reach over 1.8 billion people! From avid esports viewers to live-event goers and mobile gamers, the esports audience is diverse, fast-growing, and therefore valuable for brands. So how can you leverage esports marketing to grow your reach?

This visual sets the stage for our deep dive into esports marketing, highlighting the dynamic and engaging world that brands can tap into.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to enter the esports world and discover 17 powerful B2C esports marketing to get started.

• Where we are: esports in 2022
• What is esports marketing?
• Why esports marketing?
• How esports marketing differs from traditional digital marketing strategies
• What you need to get started (+ a free checklist!)
• 17 B2C esports marketing strategies (with examples)
• Picking the right platforms for your esports business
• Frequently Asked Questions

Where we are: esports in 2022

Between 2020 and 2025, global esports market revenue is set to double from around $900 million to $1.8 billion! And according to esports intelligence agency Newzoo, 2022 will be another great year:

• The global esports audience will grow +8.7% year on year to reach a total of 532 million people.
• 261 million people will watch esports content more than once a month.
• 271 million people will watch esports content occasionally.

Where is all this growth coming from, though? In essence, market research names three core elements that explain the rise:

• Popular esports franchises like Valorant, Fortnite, and others contribute to a growing fanbase of both players and viewers.
• Mobile esports is maturing with professional leagues like Mobile Legends ‘Bang Bang’ and League of Legends ‘Wild Rift’.
• The rising popularity of esports in growth markets such as Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.

The latter also allows brands to create localized content, one of the fastest-growing revenue drivers in esports marketing right now. Some of the opportunities here include:

1. Hosting local gaming tournaments & esports competitions.
2. Working with local influencers like streamers or professional esports players.
3. Hosting live events in local venues or esports bars.

What is esports marketing?

Simply put, esports marketing is when brands engage with the esports community to drive awareness and revenue. This can take many forms, from product placement in games to sponsoring esports streamers, teams, and competitions. Similar to traditional sports marketing both endemic and non-endemic brands can benefit from building a relationship with the audience.

Why esports marketing?

Across the world, 1 billion people are already engaging with esports in one way or another. Whether they enjoy watching gaming tournaments or participating in live events, esports is no longer just a niche. Owing to the sheer scale of esports’ popularity, brands are taking notice. In fact, in 2020 consultancy firm McKinsey noted that 60% of esports partnerships feature non-endemic brands (those not from gaming).

But why should brands target esports? The answer is access to a valuable audience.

The esports audience is growing fast globally. They consist out of a younger, digital native audience which is mostly male, but female gamers are growing too. Lastly, they’re highly engaged and accessible.

It’s easier to build loyalty, collect first-party data and build powerful relationships with younger audiences. About six out of 10 internet users watching esports are between ages 16 and 35.

How esports marketing differs from traditional digital marketing strategies

Esports marketing requires a different mindset. The most successful campaigns take a dedicated approach that adds value to the community. In other words, just slapping your logo on a stream won’t do the trick. But why is esports so unique?

The esports audience is full of early adopters

Agoria, a Belgian tech federation, noted that fans of esports are “often early adopters” when it comes to new technology. Besides that, they’re generally open-minded enough to try new things. They’re usually open to trying new products, hopping on the latest trends, and telling their friends about them!

The product adoption curve illustrates how gamers are often early adopters, making them a key audience for innovative products and brands.

Communication must be engaging and authentic

Of course, authenticity should always be your motto. But it matters that much more in esports. Research from influencer marketing agency Adshot indicates that around 75% of digital natives use Ad Blockers. In short, for your communication to be noticed, it must be personalized, genuine, and dialogue-based. Esports fans want to be more than just consumers - they also want to contribute and have a say in how things are done.

Top Tip: When sponsoring a game, make sure that not only does it fit your brand, but that you have a real affinity for that game and its community!

What you need to get started (+ a free checklist!)

So you need an esports marketing plan. You’re in luck! We devised an easy four-step checklist to get you started on your route to success!

1) Find the right esports audience for you

McKinsey, 2019 - "Brands tend to underestimate the fragmentation of esports fans. As a result, they risk spending their money unwisely".

Not every game commands the same audience. Audiences generally differ based on devices, game types, and more. To overcome (and take advantage of) the fragmented esports market, you must find titles that complement your brand identity.

For example, if your target audience leans female, consider focusing on mobile gaming marketing. In general women’s top 3 game types are puzzle games, adventure & strategy. Compared to men, of which the majority play on PC. Their top 3 games are shooter-based, strategy, and sports.

2) Identify the right channels

Where does your target audience hang out? With dozens of different platforms available to the gaming community, identifying the right channel is crucial for effective targeting.

For instance, take the battle royale game PUBG. The game’s subreddit hosts 2 million visitors, whereas Discord hosts a tenth of that at 260,000. But while Reddit offers a wider reach (and is therefore prone to be overwhelmed with content), Discord is a tighter community that attracts higher levels of engagement.

3) Partner with powerful esports influencers

Only 11% of esports viewing time actually comes from professional competitions. Instead, independent streamers dominate the market - and this represents a great opportunity for brand partnerships. Esports influencers command large audiences and, as independents, rely on established brands for sponsorships.

4) Launch/sponsor an esports team

Sponsorships are where the money is in esports. In fact, sponsorships bring in twice as much as media rights, tickets, merch, and streaming sales combined. So how do you get involved? Well, you could launch your own esports team and watch them rise in the rankings. Or alternatively, you can also sponsor existing teams which companies ranging from Coca-Cola to Mercedes-Benz have taken a huge interest in.

What’s great about sponsorship in esports marketing is the broad opportunities that come with it. Besides live events, esports is mostly a digital-first medium. Therefore, engaging fans online and collecting first-party data is easier than traditional sports marketing.

Connect, engage & monetize a gaming community in just 2 weeks. Take a peek inside our 360° tournament platform!

17 top B2C esports marketing strategies (with examples)

#1 Be aware of “update season” - and align your schedule

In esports, a game update is a highly anticipated event. Usually, updates come with balance changes and new in-game items. For example, the makers of Fortnite even organize their updates as a “season of virtual events”. To cash in on the hype, you could run tie-ins and promotions during this period.

Fortnite's seasonal updates show how game developers create highly anticipated events that marketers can leverage for timely campaigns.

#2 Credibility comes before the prominence

Esports marketing is more than plastering your logo everywhere. While research shows that prominent sponsors of gaming tournaments are 4x more memorable than those without prominent placement, that prominence will backfire if the sponsorship feels fake, or like a cynical cash grab.

Aldi for instance tried to enter the esports market with a campaign aimed to stop kids from playing games, so they’re ready when dinner is. Needless to say, the campaign was not a great success, with many gamers scolding Aldi for being out of touch.

#3 Community building and socialization are crucial

Socialization is one of the biggest reasons why gamers return to their communities. To make the most of a gaming community, encourage gamers to discuss and share their own stories or content.

For instance, Nike partnered with Korean streamer JisooGirl to create a powerful video about gender bias in gaming. To be sure, this was a genuine and positive way to contribute to the group discussion, while also showing off Nike’s brand values.

#4 Deepen your connection with your audience

Esports fans are passionate about their niche. As a result, communities tend to develop their own unique culture. To successfully connect with a market of gamers, you need in-depth knowledge of what the audience likes, and dislikes, and who its brand champions are.

Many tech companies for instance understand that lots of developers spend their free time gaming. After 1 week of targeted sponsorship deals, they got over 50 applications!

#5 Esports crosses boundaries (both cultural and geographical)

Pop culture has gone multipolar - and esports is no different. European sponsors are often surprised to find that around 1/3 of esports viewers are from outside the team’s home country. Essentially, companies expecting to hone in a local market may be disappointed. But if your company has a wide digital reach, you will find greater success.

For an example of how to capitalize on this multipolar media environment, League of Legends publisher Riot Games launched K/DA, a multilingual virtual girl group. Their first track, released in Korean and English, achieved over 56 million views!

#6 Encourage gamer interaction with influencers

By far, one of the best ways to motivate gamers is to involve them. Namely, with their favorite influencers! US chocolate giant Hershey is especially clever at this esports marketing technique. In 2019, Hershey sponsored Twitch megastars TimTheTatman and DrLupo and organized meet-and-greets with fans.

Hershey's collaboration with Twitch streamers demonstrates a powerful strategy for connecting with fans through influencer engagement and real-world events.

#7 Give users opportunities to learn from each other (and the pros)

It is a fact that gamers trust user-generated content more than traditional ads. But to go even further, research shows that when amateur players learn from other players, their team loyalty increases! In short, boost opportunities for socialization, including across players with different levels of experience.

The luxury brand Gucci for instance launched its own gaming academy with professional players, commentators and trainers. With it, they want to give people the opportunity to go pro.

#8 Improve your audience measurement

It’s easy to see the big numbers attached to esports events and walk away impressed. But many figures, like virtual attendance and hours of streaming watched, can be misleading at a first glance. Brands, marketing agencies, and esports organizations need to look behind those numbers. Ask yourself, where does my audience really fit in? And is the return on investment worth it?

#9 In-game gifting is a strong incentive to purchase

How else can you incentivize purchases? Research shows the answer is in-game gifting! In essence, gifting can strengthen the social ties between players, and that represents a strong incentive to spend money in-game. To name a few good gift ideas, custom skins or in-game usable objects like cars can entice users.

League of Legends for instance does this with ‘loot drops’. In 2022 they partnered with Tiffany & Co to offer exclusive in-game skins!

#10 Keep a close eye on the trends (things move fast in esports!)

Put simply, the lifespan of a a game, team, or streamer can be cut short very quickly. Gamers tend to be loyal, but they are also enthusiastic about new and exciting trends. Whether it's the latest trending meme or handling COVID-19 restrictions, being on top of trends can literally induce overnight success. The game Detroit: Become Human for instance got rapidly picked up after its graphics were turned into memes.

#11 Let gamers celebrate the achievements of their favorite streamers

Fans love it when the player or team they support wins. As a matter of fact, research shows that “vicarious achievement”, the feeling of winning through others, is a major motivational factor behind gamer engagement. To capture that excitement, encourage gamers to celebrate in Discord communities or offer celebratory giveaways.

After qualifying for the PUBG invitational series, the 7Sea esports team got lots of praise for their performance on social media during the afterparty.

#12 Maximize community engagement through social media

Esports marketing is all about community engagement. To build on the success of live events, for example, post polls on Twitter that ask gamers things like “what was your favorite moment?” This sparks discussion and helps link your brand to the event.

#13 Offer exclusive content to streamers & gamers

Exclusive content makes users feel special - and can reinforce that community feeling. Valorant, a popular esports title, employed this marketing strategy for its 2020 launch. Essentially, instead of paying streamers like Pengu to just talk about the game, they let him offer exclusive beta access to a select few of his followers. With this strategy, Valorant earned a whopping 470 million viewing hours on Twitch before the game even launched!

#14 Organize your own live tournaments and events

While esports is seen as a mostly digital industry (the clue being in the name), live experiences actually form a huge part of the esports world. To be sure, gamers are not shy about attending local tournaments and events:

• 81% say live events make them feel a part of the gaming community;
• 80% attend to watch their favorite players & teams;
• 61% go to events to connect with their online friends.

What’s more, gamers that attend live events spend more and play more! The League of Legends championship for instance garnered over 15,000 live spectators in 2019.

#15 Provide gamers with real value (or face being ignored)

It may sound obvious, but you have to make your offer valuable to gamers. Remember, most gamers are a part of the digital native generation and are accustomed to ignoring clutter. But you can avoid this like Louis Vuitton by actually giving them something of value.

Whilst the luxury fashion brand sounds like an unlikely partner for League of Legends, their offer of exclusive and fashionable character skins garnered 100 million impressions!

This partnership between Louis Vuitton and League of Legends exemplifies how non-endemic luxury brands can successfully enter the esports market by offering genuine value through exclusive content.

#16 Social values matter greatly to gamers

Social responsibility is an important aspect of esports marketing. Why? In brief, it matters to those consumers aged 18-35 (in other words, a plurality of gamers). Studies show that the digital native generation is more passionate about social issues than any other age group, and esports helps lead the way.

For example, America’s top esports team, the ‘Evil Geniuses’ - worth an incredible $255 million by the way - support the LGBTQ+ gaming community with a themed podcast. They run programs to help women get into gaming, and partner with Cxmmunity, an organization focused on improving minority representation in the gaming industry.

#17 Video advertisements offer a broad reach to build awareness

Clearly, the millions of streaming hours on Twitch and YouTube provide a great platform for video advertisements. They also allow marketers to target an audience with precision. Epic Games for instance created an interactive ad experience for Fortnite with Travis Scott where they released his latest song in a virtual concert. Over 12,3 million gamers participated.

Picking the right platforms for your esports business

Simplify your strategy with the all-in-one tournament & community platform from StriveCloud

Our tournament platform combines the power of competition, content & community all in 1 platform. Simply set up (automated) tournaments, share & distribute content, and fuel loyalty with our gamification features.

Besides, our platform is easy to monetize. That’s because it is built specifically to empower you: the community owner. It’s a perfect solution to build a highly engaged community of gamers and esports fans, and connect them with relevant brands. Unlike social platforms like Discord, everything is white-labeled so you can add your own branding and instantly boost your credibility. What’s more, you own and keep all the user data, enabling you to set up powerful targeted campaigns and tournaments.

When the Swiss gaming community GameTurnier came to us to create a digital space for them, their goal was to grow their platform. And together we achieved success! Since our partnership, they now host 600 competitions weekly!

Find out why leading sports brands & esports agencies love us! Book a demo with our experts & discover the benefits of having your own tournament platform!

The GameTurnier platform is an excellent example of how a dedicated digital space can foster community growth and host hundreds of weekly competitions.

Discord is the heart of the gaming community

On Discord, gamers can live in the moment. The platform enables live chat and audio calls between gamers and allows moderators to organize users into separate channels according to rank or specialty. In short, the platform creates a secure place for users to connect and build their gaming community. In 2021, Discord hosted 140 million MAUs!

Livestreaming with Twitch or YouTube will boost your reach

By 2024, the global gaming live-streaming audience is predicted to hit a staggering 830 million people. Without a doubt, what attracts gamers to live streams is their authentic and interactive nature. And your esports marketing strategy can take advantage of this through partnerships with streamers or video advertisements on the platform.

Drive your esports marketing strategy with a complete solution! Walk through the opportunities of our tournament & community platform!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the state of esports in 2022?

In 2022 the global esports audience will grow by +8.7% year on year to reach a total of 532 million people. This growth is driven by the increase of popular esports franchises, mobile esports, and global market expansion. These trends also allow brands to localize their esports marketing efforts and break through to a global audience.

What is esports marketing?

Simply put, esports marketing is when brands engage with the esports community to drive awareness and revenue. This can take many forms, from product placement in games to sponsoring esports streamers, teams, and competitions. Similar to traditional sports marketing both endemic and non-endemic brands can benefit from building a relationship with the audience.

Why esports marketing?

Across the world, 1 billion people are already engaging with esports in one way or another. Whether they enjoy watching gaming tournaments or participating in live events, esports is no longer just a niche. Besides the sheer scale, the esports audience also offers an interesting and diverse target audience.

How does esports marketing differ from traditional digital marketing?

Unlike other markets, esports fans are primarily an enthusiastic, tech-savvy group willing to take risks on new products. Similar to traditional sports, audiences differ tremendously from game types to gaming devices. In other words, your targeting and messaging need to be on point.

Expert advice on how to get users excited about your health app

Roughly 50% of all prescribed medications are not taken correctly. In the US alone this leads to nearly 38% of avoidable hospital readmissions. Some medication health apps have over 60 million downloads and manage billions of doses. Unfortunately, user app engagement on these apps is very low which causes a lot of people to lose track of their medication schedules.

As it turns out over 60% of healthcare apps are uninstalled within the first 30 days. The reminders and push notifications don’t seem to be good enough for patients to settle. Mobile health apps will have to step up their game if they want to be more than a “reminder app” for medication or other health purposes. They need to create an experience that patients want to have as part of their everyday life.

Here’s what we’ll discuss:

• The engagement killer of your mHealth app
• How gamification for apps can help
• Gamify your user journey with a plug-in gamification tool
• Gamification for health - the future of mobile health apps

The engagement killer of your mHealth app

Mobile health apps collect data for a variety of reasons. Most apps actually need some sort of personal health data in order to function properly. The best-known example of mHealth apps that use data is probably trackers. These can be calorie trackers, fitness trackers, or even sleep trackers. By collecting data on either of these subjects, the apps can give recommendations to improve your diet, sleep, or exercising routine.

However, once you take away the data the app instantly loses value. Unfortunately, that’s what happens the majority of the time. Only 20% of users are still engaged with their mHealth app one day after the installation. Think that’s low? Well, after seven days it drops to 8%. After a total of 30 days, over 60% of healthcare apps are uninstalled due to poor usability.

This graph vividly illustrates the dramatic drop-off in user engagement for mobile health apps, highlighting the need for more effective retention strategies.

With retention rates this low, how can you build an app that helps your patients? Well, you don’t want the experience to feel like a chore. This makes it boring and uninteresting for users.

Instead, you need to create an experience where users want to come back every day. Additionally, your users need the motivation to fill in their data and see the return of their investment almost immediately.

So how can you get started?

How gamification for apps can help

Gamification is the use of game elements & psychology in a non-game context. It’s used to increase user app engagement by making the experience more fun and rewarding. The motivational theory behind gamification relies on certain mechanics that trigger the user behavior. These are also called extrinsic motivators.

In order for these mechanics to work, however, there needs to be an underlying set of emotions to move the user towards action, and more importantly, keep them actively engaged. We call these intrinsic motivators. These could be desires such as a sense of accomplishment, connectivity & autonomy. But they could also be fears like unpredictability, fear of missing out, and avoidance.

While medication non-adherence remains stable at roughly 50%, remote monitoring apps are now improving medication adherence by over 30%. This helps address avoidable healthcare costs, as mHealth apps reduce hospital readmissions by nearly 38%. Although over 60% of healthcare apps are uninstalled within the first 30 days due to poor usability, personalized healthcare apps can improve engagement by over 45% compared to generic solutions.

Want to get a full breakdown on gamification? Check out our ‘What is Gamification’ page!

Think about it. What are the most popular types of apps? You guessed it! Gaming apps. These apps use a variety of game elements such as leveling systems, experience points, and badge reward systems to keep their users engaged.

So what happens when you take the psychology and elements from a game, inside of another digital experience? You can boost user motivation and drive them to carry out the desired user behaviors. Gamification for apps can help you collect reliable patient data, without being a drag on your users' life.

Gamify your user journey with a plug-in gamification tool

If you go with StriveCloud’s plug-in gamification tool you take already existing user data and turns it into a gamified experience. You can easily add game elements across the user journey, without having to spend tons of time and high-value resources developing them yourself. In fact, you can gamify the entire user journey from one simple control panel!

So how does this gamification tool work?

This diagram shows how a plug-in gamification tool like StriveCloud can overlay game mechanics onto an existing user journey to boost engagement.

Set milestones to drive the user journey forward

You want your user to take action. By setting clear goals you help them complete the actions you need. A milestone could be something as simple as logging in data for 100 days in a row. When users achieve it they can get rewards, badges, or up their level!

Reward users for daily participation

You can reward users for carrying out the behaviors you want from them. For health apps, this can be logging patient data every day. To keep patients engaged enough to log their data on a daily basis, you can reward users to reinforce those behaviors. You can reward them with in-app virtual currencies and badges. They can even redeem their points in a lottery and have a chance of winning exclusive prizes.

Always give the right context with personalized notifications

With the help of notifications and visual reminders, you can always keep your users engaged. It shows them which actions are rewarded, and what next steps they should take. Notifications are a way of giving feedback to the user.

You can give positive feedback to reinforce good behavior, or negative feedback to enable users to adjust quickly. For instance, you can notify users with a ‘good job!’ every time they log their data or give them reminders when they’ll miss their daily goal. It’s a great way of boosting user participation and getting the right data.

Learn everything StriveCloud’s plug-in gamification tool could do for your app!

Gamification for health – the future of mobile health apps

So how can gamification for health help to collect more user data? While roughly 50% of medications are not taken correctly, remote monitoring apps improve adherence by over 30%. mHealth apps also reduce hospital readmissions by nearly 38%, a critical factor for the growing U.S. market. However, with over 60% of healthcare apps uninstalled within the first 30 days, personalized solutions that improve engagement by over 45% are essential. With gamification, you can shift the tides and make things like logging data more fun!

p>Here are some features you could use for your health app:

Challenges

A challenge can be a powerful game element for user action. By setting a clear goal you trigger the natural desire for achievement. You can use it to guide users towards the next step linked to your app’s goals.

For instance, you can set a challenge where users need to log their data for 30 days in a row! Once they complete that challenge they get rewards. Simply setting the goal and linking rewards to it boosts user motivation.

Badge reward system

When users achieve a milestone in your app or they complete a challenge, you can reward them with badges. The badge is a status symbol that represents the users' achievements and creates positive reinforcement for the behaviors that led to it.

Collecting more badges will motivate users to keep logging their data, as they will unlock more badges for every milestone. Reward your users for milestones like 5, 10, or 100 consecutive days of logging in data to keep them anticipating the next badge!

Points collection & leveling system

Reward your users with points or in-app currencies to indicate their progress and keep them engaged. Use these points to evolve the user to the next level. With points, you can easily reinforce the behaviors you want to see happening. It plays on the users' desire for achievement and progress.

Allow the user to level up by being actively engaged on your mHealth app. Visualizing the progress, and unlocking new capabilities keeps the journey to better health interesting and fun!

Recap

Uninstall rates for health apps are as high as 60% within the first 30 days. That’s unfortunate, knowing that most health apps need some form of patient data to generate value for their patients. Whether you are a tracking app, a reminder app, or any other type of health app, chances are you need to boost app engagement. Gamification for health can help to elevate the chore of health, to a fun and rewarding experience.

You’ll get to collect more user data with every interaction and set clear user goals to boost app engagement and retention. Gamification for apps can make a healthy lifestyle, prevention, and treatment enjoyable and accelerate mHealth’s revolution in healthcare.

Need some help setting up your own gamification strategy? Get a free consultation with one of our experts!