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Enhancing user engagement: The role of gamification in mobile apps
Open accessAbstract
Organizations are increasingly making use of gamification to enhance users’ engagement with their mobile apps. However, more research into the mechanisms that facilitate user engagement and its consequences is needed. Drawing on the self-system model of motivational development, this study investigates how gamification might foster user engagement and positive marketing outcomes. Data from 276 users of a mobile gamified app were analyzed using partial least squares regression. The results showed that gamification increases user engagement through satisfaction of the needs for competence, autonomy and relatedness. User engagement, in turn, leads to greater intention to use, disseminate WOM about, and to positively rate, the app. Finally, this study provides a number of theoretical and practical implications that can help developers design more effective gamified mobile apps.
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“Second, the findings demonstrate that a single, relatively simple mechanic can generate substantial behavioural and commercial effects, challenging assumptions that complex multi-element gamification systems are necessary for success.”
From An Experimental Analysis of Gamification’s Impact on Customer Engagement and Retention in Subscription-Based Business Models (2026) · cites this paper as Bitrian et al., 2021
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Metadata
- Authors
- Bitrián, P., Buil, I., & Catalán, S.
- Affiliations
- Universidad de Zaragoza (ES)
- Corresponding author
- Bitrián, Paula
- Venue
- Journal of Business Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-08
- Volume
- 132
- Pages
- 170-185
- ISSN
- 0148-2963 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3159451509
- Cited by
- 442
- References
- 130
- Citations by year
- 2026: 81 · 2025: 126 · 2024: 97 · 2023: 77 · 2022: 50 · 2021: 9
- FWCI
- 85.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Business Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Zaguan (Universidad de Zaragoza) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- European Regional Development Fund
- Government of Spain Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities
- Government of Aragon
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Games and Gamification
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Information Systems and Management › Technology Adoption and User Behaviour
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Digital Marketing and Social Media
- Keywords
- gamification, mobile application, user engagement, self-determination theory, autonomy, competence, relatedness, satisfaction, intention to use, word of mouth, app ratings
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