Most guides sell gamification on engagement and repeat vendor claims that gamified signup forms convert several times better than plain ones. Across the popups we power, between January 2024 and September 2026, we measured something sharper: gamified popups do not collect measurably more email or phone leads than plain signup popups, even though they get far more clicks. Engagement is not conversion.
None of this makes games useless. If you are to use a game in your marketing campaign, your game will be accessible to almost everyone at this age. A well-designed game will be a source of fun and entertainment for your customers. Also, games attract more attention to your website and your product.
How does gamification work?
There are two basic dynamics making gamification work – challenges and rewards. People generally love to compete and solve the problems given to them. It is in our nature to handle this type of task.
Rewarding them is also of high importance. This can be accomplished by either in-game rewards or external rewards; such as discounts. If people are to get a badge or level up after completing a task, they will be more likely to spend more time on the game.
The reward has a measured effect of its own: across the popups we power, signup popups that offer a discount code convert 1.46% of their displays into leads vs 0.75% for signup popups without one (median campaign).
What are the types of gamification in marketing?
Each mechanic is built to move a different number, so pick it from the metric you need.
| Mechanic | What it realistically moves |
|---|---|
| Spin-to-win wheel (a spin for a prize, usually a discount code) | Clicks; in our benchmark, not measurably more leads |
| Scratch card (scratch to reveal a prize) | Attention on the offer; judge it on leads, like a wheel |
| Quiz ending in a result or product match | Preference data to segment on, and product discovery |
| Progress bar, such as distance to free shipping | Order value, and finishing multi-step tasks |
| Points and badges | Repeat purchases and loyalty |
| Streaks, like Duolingo's daily streak | Habit and retention |
| Leaderboard | Participation in contests and communities |
Our spin wheel popup guide walks through one wheel build; the roundup of ecommerce gamification ideas covers formats beyond the popup.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of gamification in marketing?
Gamification, like everything else, has pros and cons in marketing. If we are to list advantages first, most well known are:
- The involvement of users in your campaign is higher. Due to the competitive and rewarding nature of games, users engage more than they do with a static campaign.
- Brand awareness and loyalty. The more time they spend on your game the more likely they will remember your brand’s name and tell anyone about it. Also, they will emotionally attach to your company, which will result in more money spent on your products.
- New users. Since it is a fun way to spend a user’s time, the chances of new users coming to your game are higher.
- Higher conversion rates, over time. This is closely related to loyalty. If people become loyal customers of yours, they will be more aware of your products and take positive actions. On a single signup popup, though, the game alone didn't lift leads measurably in our data.
- Increase of data entry. At the end of your game, you can ask your users for their contact addresses.
However, you should also keep in mind that making a game has cons for your brand. Some of them are:
- Requirement of Creativity. Since gamification has been present for a while in the industry, you have to come up with novel game ideas to engage your users. You can always use quizzes and tests, but they are quite accustomed to. So, they are not the way if you want to keep your customers engaged with your product.
- Games require resources. The game-making process takes a lot of time, thus money. The details in your game, such as animations and gameplay, require a high amount of time. This process includes designing, creating, and testing the game. And in this industry, facing a problem is just like breathing.
There are ways to refrain from these disadvantages. For example, one of the ways to refrain from the latter problem is to use the wheel popup brought to you by Popupsmart. Instead of spending your money and time on a designing project, you can effortlessly integrate this popup into your site. Popupsmart offers spin-to-win and similar formats for coupon campaigns in its gamified popup templates.
When is gamification not worth it?
Skip the game, or test it before you commit, when:
- Your goal is leads, but your report counts plays.
- The mechanic doesn't fit your brand. A carnival wheel can feel out of place on a luxury store or a B2B pricing page.
- Your margins can't carry a prize on every order. A wheel that always pays out is a discount with extra steps.
When I decide whether a wheel is worth it, I count leads, not spins: submissions that contain an email address or phone number, per popup display. That is how our benchmark defines a lead rate. I'd run the wheel as an A/B split test against a plain signup popup with the same discount, so the game is the only difference. If the wheel wins on clicks but not on leads, I keep the plain popup: it is simpler to run and states the offer up front.
For context, not as a target: across 3,034 Popupsmart popups that ask for an email or phone number (January 2024 – September 2026), the median converts 0.83% of its displays into leads.
What are some examples of gamification in marketing?
M&M's Eye Spy Pretzel game
Back in 2013, M&M's promoted its pretzel-flavored candy by modifying a pre-existing game which has been quite famous and played by many – “Where is Waldo?”. They posted an image containing a pretzel guy on their Facebook page.
The number of likes, shares, and comments of this simple, almost costless idea can be considered high. The original post is still up if you want to check it out.
Pleasure Hunt by Magnum Ice Cream
As a new take on 2D Mario Games, Magnum launched a game called “Pleasure Hunt” in 2011. In this game, you control a character named “Magnum Woman” and your goal is to collect chocolates throughout the internet. You can visit a number of different sites such as YouTube and Samsung.
After you finished the hunt, you could share the score you got with your friends via social media platforms. The results were awesome. For a day, the Magnum URL was the most tweeted URL in the world, and in just five days the site got 725,101 visitors, according to David Hammarström's Pleasure Hunt project page. That counts visitors, which is not the same as unique visitors.
Starbucks Rewards
Starbucks incorporated your real-life purchases into a gamification method. It is a great way for Starbucks to ensure customer engagement and increase customer loyalty. Every purchase means stars for Starbucks Rewards members.
With these stars, customers can receive free food or drinks. Since March 10, 2026, spending also moves members up three status tiers, Green, Gold and Reserve, and each higher tier earns stars faster, according to Restaurant Dive's report on the new tiers.
To try a game on your own site without building one, Popupsmart's gamification popups run spin-to-win and similar formats without code. Measure them on leads, not spins.
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