While research on customer engagement (CE) through gamification is gaining significant traction globally, the themes from cross-cultural perspectives that characterize this emerging and interdisciplinary research phenomenon remain unclear, exposing an essential gap within the existing literature. To bridge this gap, we undertake a systematic review of 66 studies, employing the Planning, Operationalizing, Writing, Embedding and Reflectiong (POWER), and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) frameworks to comprehensively identify the existing literature on gamification-based CE. We adopt a qualitative research approach to thematically analyse the selected studies through cross-cultural perspectives. Our review identifies four central themes within the literature on gamification-based CE, including (a) global gamification-based customer engagement marketing, (b) conceptualization of customer engagement, (c) industrial and cross-cultural contexts and (d) outcomes of gamification-based customer engagement. Drawing on the observations from extant research, the authors put forward several directions for future research built upon research philosophy, approach, strategy, choices, time horizon, techniques and procedures, and determine areas for further academic research. In addition, they also outline the managerial implications arising from utilizing gamification for CE across various global markets.
Gupta et al. (Wed,) studied this question.