Game mechanics and aesthetics differences for tangible and intangible goods provided via social media

Companies aspire to fulfil consumers’ needs, wants and desires by offering products and services. Due to globalization and digitization, the world became a small village by facilitating the obtainability of products/services across the globe. Furthermore, the online purchasing via social platforms mirrors the traditional purchasing process. Gamification, game techniques and elements have been employed in the different domain for engaging and motivating consumers, students, end-users in numerous countries and cultures. Gamification is considered the appliance of game techniques and game elements in the non-game environment. It’s been adjusted in different models founded as a need to explore and explain variables, phenomena and theories. Game mechanics as one of the game elements are applied in different disciplines to achieve better performance, fruitful collaboration, active and enthusiastic participation, creating enjoyable, pleasurable and entertaining environment. Aesthetics are described as the sensory part that game evoke within the player. To identify the differences within consumers who purchase via social media when game mechanics and aesthetics are applied, the chi-square test for independence has been employed. The results estimate that the association between products and services as variables is not statistically significant and the relationship between them is weak or moderated. The findings of this research are useful for private companies and other interested stakeholders. © 2019, Sciendo. All rights reserved.Internal Grant Agency of Tomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FaME/2018/2020

Assessing the dissimilarities of game mechanics on Albanian working-class consumers

The increase in popularity of games and their attendant impact on player behaviour has led to the transformation of game elements in line with non-game contexts. The process of adding game elements in non-game context has been defined as gamification. Due to digitization, consumers are exposed to a wider range of information through their use of technological devices and social media. Therefore, gamification is seen as innovative engaging and motivating set of activities that influence purchasing dispositions of consumers. Due to the successful usage of gamification in numerous areas, this study was aimed at exploring the game mechanics differences for employed consumers who purchase via social media (s-commerce). Using a survey as part of the research design, a questionnaire was employed for data collection, 183 respondents participated completed the questionnaire, and the data collected was used to perform the non-parametric test, Chi-Square test for independence has been employed to describe and explore the differences. The results revealed that points, rewards and badges offered by the s-commerce retailer as factors that influence the purchase frequency of consumers are significantly differ based on the working sector for employed consumers. The study provides substantial evidences for retail businesses regarding game mechanics elements as purchasing motivator.Internal Grant Agency of Tomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FaME/2018/005

Game mechanics differeces for Kosovans social media purchasers

Consumer behaviour in theoretical aspect has evolved through the years. Moreover, numerous seller have moved from physical retailer to online e-commerce websites or pages on social media. Social media within years have expanded the usage in the commercial world. In the digitization era, where consumers are daily users of technology and social media, gamification has been seen as an innovative engaging and motivating technique. So far, gamification has been employed in different fields such as healthcare, sustainability, government, transportation, education, and so on. Although, gamification appliance in consumer behaviour domain is not that much explored. Furthermore, one of gamification elements is game mechanics, which has been applied for the research purpose. This paper aims to explain the differences between consumers of different age groups and cities in Republic of Kosovo regarding the game mechanics influence when purchasing via social media. A qualitative approach followed by a non parametric test, Chi-Square test, has been employed to describe and explain the differences between the groups. This paper contributes to the existing theory of gamification, game mechanics and its impact for social media purchasers.Internal Grant Agency of Tomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FaME/2018/2020

Game experience as a moderator in gamified online purchasing settings

As online purchasing grows in importance, the interest of enhancing the online purchasing experience also increases. Although considered as 'a reason to play', gamification is established as a successful set of activities to motivate and engage end-users, consumers, patients and students. However, limited research has been conducted concerning the impact of game elements on s-commerce purchasing behaviour. Hence, this paper aims to investigate the effect of game elements in user behaviour for consumers who purchase via social media with the relationship being moderated by game experience. For hypotheses testing purposes, this study uses PLS-SEM and independent sample t-test to examine 721 questionnaires gathered via an online survey. The findings reveal that game elements positively and significantly influence user behaviour but the relationship is not moderated by game experience. This confirms that gamification is a concept extending beyond games; and, if designed and applied accurately, it may imbue dull experiences with fun and joy. Copyright © 2021 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd

The consumer decision-making process which form domestic brand loyalty: A literature review

This paper presents a literature review regarding consumer decision-making process and its impact on creating domestic brand loyalty. The paper focuses on investigating previous studies on the topic. The articles are collected from Scopus and Web of Science, analysed by using decision-making process and domestic brand loyalty concepts. As filtering criteria for articles were used relevance, methodology, analysis details, results and implications for future research. The results provide an overview of the context regarding decision-making process and each phase impact. Furthermore, the impact of this process in brand loyalty explored by previous scholar has been analysed for the purpose of this paper.Internal Grant Agency of Tomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FaME/2018/2020

Game mechanics and aesthetics differences for tangible and intangible goods provided via social media

Companies aspire to fulfil consumers’ needs, wants and desires by offering products and services. Due to globalization and digitization, the world became a small village by facilitating the obtainability of products/services across the globe. Furthermore, the online purchasing via social platforms mirrors the traditional purchasing process. Gamification, game techniques and elements have been employed in the different domain for engaging and motivating consumers, students, end-users in numerous countries and cultures. Gamification is considered the appliance of game techniques and game elements in the non-game environment. It’s been adjusted in different models founded as a need to explore and explain variables, phenomena and theories. Game mechanics as one of the game elements are applied in different disciplines to achieve better performance, fruitful collaboration, active and enthusiastic participation, creating enjoyable, pleasurable and entertaining environment. Aesthetics are described as the sensory part that game evoke within the player. To identify the differences within consumers who purchase via social media when game mechanics and aesthetics are applied, the chi-square test for independence has been employed. The results estimate that the association between products and services as variables is not statistically significant and the relationship between them is weak or moderated. The findings of this research are useful for private companies and other interested stakeholders

Game dynamics and the war between social platforms

Due to the globalization which generated a towering competitive environment, businesses are seeking for a creative and effective strategy to succeed. Gamification is advertised as an engaging and motivating technique for end-users, customers, patients and learners. Also, social platforms and the role of maintaining lively the company image and brand are increasing its importance. Due to limited research regarding the gamification impact on consumer behaviour, this study aims to investigate and identify the the differences between customers who purchase via Facebook and Instagram when factors, such as game dynamics, are considered. For the research purpose, the independent sample t-test has been performed by using SPSS version 23 and the eta-squared and Cohen's d coefficient has been calculated manually. The results reveal that consumers who purchase via Facebook and Instagram differ regarding the feeling of belonging, advancement and expressiveness induced while purchasing. This research provides insights on the differences regarding social platforms' usage if game dynamics are considered and it enriches the current literature regarding gamification, social platforms' usage and online consumer behaviour. However, further investigation is needed to generalize the results.Internal Grant Agency of Tomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FaME/2018/2020

The association between gender and occupation in a gamified purchasing environment: Perspective from Kosovo and Albania

Gamification is considered as a 'magic bullet' to induce dull experiences with fun and enjoyment. However, understanding the gamification attributes for s-commerce users falls short due to limited empirical research. The purpose of this study is to explore the differences between males and females and employed and unemployed buyers who purchase products and services via s-commerce when game elements are considered. A questionnaire containing 61 questions and was distributed via social platforms. To analyse the gathered data, EFA and Mann-Whitney U test have been employed. The study concludes that for Kosovar s-commerce users, employment status is significantly different regarding game mechanics. Regarding gender, out of all game elements, significant differences were found only in aesthetics. On the other hand, no gender and occupation differences have been identified for Albanian s-commerce users. The results of this study are useful for companies which provide products/services focused on gender and employment status. © 2021 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.. All rights reserved