The impact of gamified loyalty programmes on customer engagement behaviours. A hotel industry application

Purpose This paper aims to examine the differential effects of gamified loyalty programmes and conventional loyalty programmes on customer engagement behaviours. Design/methodology/approach A 2 × 2 × 2 experiment was conducted that manipulated gamification (gamified vs non-gamified), reward levels (high vs low) and reward type (economic vs social). Data collected from a sample of 315 individuals were analysed through partial least squares and tests of means. Findings Gamification can improve the attractiveness of loyalty programmes by influencing perceptions of playfulness and reward satisfaction. In fact, gamification lowers the importance that customers attach to reward levels. As a result, customers perceive higher hedonic and utilitarian value, which positively influences their engagement behaviours. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first studies to attempt to empirically analyse whether incorporating gamification into loyalty programmes influences customer engagement behaviours in the hospitality context.