Three Essays on Consumer Behavior in Gamified Sport and Affiliated Services

Abstract

Organizations in sport and affiliated industries are gamifying their products by embedding affordances that make games attractive. While the sport industry enjoys the benefits of gamification, the literature on gamified sport products is scattered and ambiguous. Three studies were conducted to address these concerns. First, a systematic review of existing literature on gamified sport products was conducted to offer an understanding of the current state of research. Second, practitioners within organizations that manage gamified sport products were interviewed to understand the organizational practices employed to enhance consumer engagement. Third, a survey-based experiment was conducted to investigate consumers’ motivation to engage in gamified sport products that utilize AI based matchmaking. Results illuminate the growing trend in research of gamified sport products that predominantly investigates the consumer’s perspective and gamified fitness products. Furthermore, the factors that explain the ambiguity in consumer behavior toward different gamified sport products are highlighted. A model is developed that includes the different practices that are informed by the organization’s sensemaking processes and their influence on consumer’s cognition, resulting in consumer acquisition and retention. Lastly, results suggest that the application of AI based matchmaking in challenges leads to consumer’s motivation to engage with the gamified product because of the gameful experience derived. This relationship becomes more prominent as the consumer’s desire for competition increases. Collectively, the studies pave the way for future research in gamified sport products and guide practitioners in developing gamified sport products that enhance consumer engagement.