Is Gamification Important for Service Systems Non-Users? A Study on Airline Loyalty Programs

Abstract

Increasing use of social communication networks and mobile technology have caused the airline-passenger relationship to shift from traditional methods to more modern and technological infrastructure processes. The airline loyalty programs provide that permit more focused marketing, tailored services, and more accessibility for both members and non-members. Consumers are motivated by prizes, competition, and social engagement in gamified loyalty programmes. Gamification, which is effective in improving the results of innovation practices and their acceptance by consumers, plays an active role in this interaction. In this direction, the study aims to reveal the factors that affect the service system non-users behavioral intentions based on airline loyalty programs and its relationship between social influence, consumer innovativeness, and gamification. The research data were collected from air passengers who use air transportation at least once time and have no loyalty program membership. Data obtained from passengers were analyzed using the PLS-SEM model. The findings show that gamification processes will improve the participation process of new passengers, and in this direction, new consumer profiles can be added to the portfolio of service systems. In addition, it has revealed that gamification and social influence are effective on behavioral intention and gamification has a mediating role in the relationship between consumer innovativeness and behavioral intention.

Keywords

• Service System
• Gamification
• Social Influence
• Consumer Innovativeness
• Behavioral Intention

References

1. Abrahamse, W., & Steg, L. (2013). Social influence approaches to encourage resource conservation: A meta-analysis. Global environmental change, 23(6), 1773-1785.
2. Ahn, Y. J., Kim, I., & Hyun, S. S. (2015). Critical in-flight and ground-service factors influencing brand prestige and relationships between brand prestige, well-being perceptions, and brand loyalty: First-class passengers. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 32(sup1), S114-S138.
3. Alhammad, M. M., & Moreno, A. M. (2020). Challenges of gamification in software process improvement. Journal of Software: Evolution and Process, 32(6), e2231.
4. Al-Jundi, S. A., Shuhaiber, A., & Augustine, R. (2019). Effect of consumer innovativeness on new product purchase intentions through learning process and perceived value. Cogent Business & Management, 6(1), 1698849.
5. Arica, R., Cobanoglu, C., Cakir, O., Corbaci, A., Hsu, M. J., & Della Corte, V. (2022). Travel experience sharing on social media: effects of the importance attached to content sharing and what factors inhibit and facilitate it. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. Vol. 34 No. 4, pp. 1566-1586.
6. Baptista, G., & Oliveira, T. (2017). Why so serious? Gamification impact in the acceptance of mobile banking services. Internet Research, 27(1), 118-139.
7. Baswani, S., Townsend, A. M., & Luse, A. (2021). Company-Sponsored Online Co-Creation and Financial Incentives: The Impact of Intrinsic Motivation on Participation Intention. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 25(4), 394-415.
8. Chauhan, V., Yadav, R., & Choudhary, V. (2022). Adoption of electronic banking services in India: an extension of UTAUT2 model. Journal of Financial Services Marketing, 27(1), 27-40.

9. Crowe, E., & Higgins, E. T. (1997). Regulatory focus and strategic inclinations: Promotion and prevention in decision-making. Organizational behavior and human decision processes, 69(2), 117-132.
10. Dawi, N. M., & Jalil, N. A. (2019, November). Integrated model for smartwatch adoption. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Advanced Information Science and System (pp. 1-7).
11. Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011, September). From game design elements to gamefulness: defining" gamification". In Proceedings of the 15th international academic MindTrek conference: Envisioning future media environments (pp. 9-15).
12. Douglas, B. D., & Brauer, M. (2021). Gamification to prevent climate change: A review of games and apps for sustainability. Current Opinion in Psychology, 42, 89-94.
13. Fischer-Preßler, D., Bonaretti, D., & Fischbach, K. (2022). A Protection-Motivation Perspective to Explain Intention to Use and Continue to Use Mobile Warning Systems. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 64(2), 167-182.
14. Floh, A., & Madlberger, M. (2013). The role of atmospheric cues in online impulse-buying behavior. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 12(6), 425-439.
15. Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self‐determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational behavior, 26(4), 331-362.
16. García-Jurado, A., Castro-González, P., Torres-Jiménez, M., & Leal-Rodríguez, A. L. (2018). Evaluating the role of gamification and flow in e-consumers: millennials versus generation X. Kybernetes: The International Journal of Systems & Cybernetics, 48(6), 1278-1300.
17. Gómez, B. G., Arranz, A. G., & Cillán, J. G. (2006). The role of loyalty programs in behavioral and affective loyalty. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 387, 396.
18. Guo, Y., Peeta, S., Agrawal, S., & Benedyk, I. (2022). Impacts of Pokémon GO on route and mode choice decisions: exploring the potential for integrating augmented reality, gamification, and social components in mobile apps to influence travel decisions. Transportation, 49(2), 395-444.
19. Hair Jr, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Gudergan, S. P. (2017). Advanced issues in partial least squares structural equation modeling. saGe publications.
20. Hair, J. F., Gabriel, M., & Patel, V. (2014). AMOS covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM): Guidelines on its application as a marketing research tool. Brazilian Journal of Marketing, 13(2).
21. Hamari, J. (2017). Do badges increase user activity? A field experiment on the effects of gamification. Computers in human behavior, 71, 469-478.
22. Hamari, J., & Eranti, V. (2011, September). Framework for Designing and Evaluating Game Achievements. In Digra conference (Vol. 10, No. 1.224, p. 9966).
23. Hamari, J., & Koivisto, J. (2015a). “Working out for likes”: An empirical study on social influence in exercise gamification. Computers in Human Behavior, 50, 333-347.
24. Hamari, J., & Koivisto, J. (2015b). Why do people use gamification services? International journal of information management, 35(4), 419-431.
25. Hamari, J., & Koivisto, J. (2013). Social motivations to use gamification: an empirical study of gamifying exercise. In Proceedings of the 21st European Conference on Information Systems (pp. 5-8).
26. Harwood, T., & Garry, T. (2015). An investigation into gamification as a customer engagement experience environment. Journal of Services Marketing, 29(6-7), 533-546.
27. Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance- based structural equation modeling. Journal of the academy of marketing science, 43(1), 115-135.
28. Hsu, C. L., & Chen, M. C. (2021). Advocating recycling and encouraging environmentally friendly habits through gamification: An empirical investigation. Technology in Society, 66, 101621.
29. Hu, X., Chen, X., & Davison, R. M. (2019). Social support, source credibility, social influence, and impulsive purchase behavior in social commerce. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 23(3), 297-327.
30. Japutra, A., & Hossain, M. I. (2021). Tourists’ mindsets and choice of adventurous holiday activities. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(15), 2078-2087.
31. Jin, C. H. (2016). The effects of mental simulations, innovativeness on intention to adopt brand application. Computers in Human Behavior, 54, 682-690.
32. Kamboj, S., & Sharma, M. (2022). Social media adoption behaviour: Consumer innovativeness and participation intention. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 1– 22.
33. Kaur, P., Dhir, A., Singh, N., Sahu, G., & Almotairi, M. (2020). An innovation resistance theory perspective on mobile payment solutions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 55, 102059.
34. Kim, Y., Kim, S., & Rogol, E. (2017). The effects of consumer innovativeness on sport team applications acceptance and usage. Journal of Sport Management, 31(3), 241-255.
35. Koivisto, J., & Hamari, J. (2014). Demographic differences in perceived benefits from gamification. Computers
36. in Human Behavior, 35, 179-188.
37. Lacey, R., & Sneath, J. Z. (2006). Customer loyalty programs: are they fair to consumers? Journal of consumer marketing, 23(7), 458-464.
38. Lee, B. C. (2019). The effect of gamification on psychological and behavioral outcomes: Implications for cruise tourism destinations. Sustainability, 11(11), 3002.
39. Leenheer, J., Van Heerde, H. J., Bijmolt, T. H., & Smidts, A. (2007). Do loyalty programs really enhance behavioral loyalty? An empirical analysis accounting for self-selecting members. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 24(1), 31-47.
40. Li, C. Y. (2013). Persuasive messages on information system acceptance: A theoretical extension of elaboration likelihood model and social influence theory. Computers in human behavior, 29(1), 264-275.
41. Lin, Y., Tudor-Sfetea, C., Siddiqui, S., Sherwani, Y., Ahmed, M., & Eisingerich, A. B. (2018). Effective behavioral changes through a digital mHealth app: Exploring the impact of hedonic well-being, psychological empowerment and inspiration. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 6(6), e10024.
42. Liu, Y., Alexandrova, T., & Nakajima, T. (2011, December). Gamifying intelligent environments. In Proceedings of the 2011 international ACM workshop on Ubiquitous meta user interfaces (pp. 7-12).
43. Meyer-Waarden, L. (2008). The influence of loyalty programme membership on customer purchase behaviour. European Journal of Marketing, 42(1/2), 87-114.
44. Mulcahy, R., Russell-Bennett, R., & Iacobucci, D. (2020). Designing gamified apps for sustainable consumption: A field study. Journal of Business Research, 106, 377-387.
45. Novak, J., Melenhorst, M., Micheel, I., Pasini, C., Fraternali, P., & Rizzoli, A. E. (2018). Integrating behavioural change and gamified incentive modelling for stimulating water saving. Environmental Modelling & Software, 102, 120-137.
46. Osei-Frimpong, K. (2017). Patient participatory behaviours in healthcare service delivery: Self-determination theory (SDT) perspective. Journal of Service Theory and Practice.
47. Pasca, M. G., Renzi, M. F., Di Pietro, L., & Guglielmetti Mugion, R. (2021). Gamification in tourism and hospitality research in the era of digital platforms: a systematic literature review. Journal of Service Theory and Practice, 31(5), 691-737.
48. Pei-Shan, W., & Hsi-Peng, L. (2014). Why do people play mobile social games? An examination of network externalities and of uses and gratifications. Internet research: Electronic networking applications and policy, 24(3), 313-331.
49. Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of applied psychology, 88(5), 879.
50. Polat, İ. (2021). Value Co-Creation and Passenger Loyalty in the Context of the DART Model: The Mediating Role of Perceived Service Newness. Journal of Aviation, 5(2), 219-229.
51. Pramana, G., Parmanto, B., Lomas, J., Lindhiem, O., Kendall, P. C., & Silk, J. (2018). Using mobile health
52. gamification to facilitate cognitive behavioral therapy skills practice in child anxiety treatment: open clinical trial. JMIR serious games, 6(2), e8902.
53. Rai, V., & Beck, A. L. (2017). Play and learn: Serious games in breaking informational barriers in residential solar energy adoption in the United States. Energy research & social science, 27, 70-77.
54. Richter, G., Raban, D. R., & Rafaeli, S. (2015). Studying gamification: The effect of rewards and incentives on motivation. In Gamification in education and business (pp. 21-46). Springer, Cham.
55. Ringle, C., Da Silva, D., & Bido, D. (2015). Structural equation modeling with the SmartPLS. Bido, D., da Silva, D., & Ringle, C.(2014). Structural Equation Modeling with the Smartpls. Brazilian Journal Of Marketing, 13(2).
56. Rodrigues, L. F., Oliveira, A., & Rodrigues, H. (2019). Main gamification concepts: a systematic mapping study. Heliyon, 5(7), e01993.
57. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2002). Overview of self-determination theory: An organismic dialectical perspective. Handbook of self-determination research, 2, 3-33.
58. San Martín, H., & Herrero, Á. (2012). Influence of the user’s psychological factors on the online purchase intention in rural tourism: Integrating innovativeness to the UTAUT framework. Tourism management, 33(2), 341-350.
59. Santti, U., Happonen, A., & Auvinen, H. (2020, May). Digitalization boosted recycling: Gamification as an inspiration for young adults to do enhanced waste sorting. In AIP Conference Proceedings (Vol. 2233, No. 1, p. 050014). AIP Publishing LLC.
60. Sesliokuyucu, O. S., & Polat, İ. (2021). Hizmet Sistemlerinde Ortak Değer Yaratma: Hizmet Yeniliğinin Şekillendirilmesinde Oyunlaştırma. In: Dijital Dönüşümü İşletme Biliminin Gözlükleriyle Anlamak, Nobel Akademik Yayıncılık, 241-256.
61. Sheldon, K. M. (2005). Positive value change during college: Normative trends and individual differences. Journal of Research in Personality, 39(2), 209-223.
62. Singh, N., Misra, R., Singh, S., Rana, N. P., & Khorana, S. (2022). Assessing the factors that influence the adoption of healthcare wearables by the older population using an extended PMT model. Technology in Society, 71, 102126.
63. Standage, M., Duda, J. L., & Pensgaard, A. M. (2005). The effect of competitive outcome and task-involving, ego-involving, and cooperative structures on the psychological well-being of individuals engaged in a co- ordination task: A self-determination approach. Motivation and emotion, 29(1), 41-68.
64. Suh, A., Cheung, C. M., Ahuja, M., & Wagner, C. (2017). Gamification in the workplace: The central role of the aesthetic experience. Journal of Management Information Systems, 34(1), 268-305.
65. Suh, A., Wagner, C., & Liu, L. (2018). Enhancing user engagement through gamification. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 58(3), 204-213.
66. Tobon, S., Ruiz-Alba, J. L., & García-Madariaga, J. (2020). Gamification and online consumer decisions: is the game over? Decision Support Systems, 128, 113167.
67. Uhm, J. P., Kim, S., & Lee, H. W. (2022). Stimulating Suspense in Gamified Virtual Reality Sports: Effect on Flow, Fun, and Behavioral Intention. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 1-13.
68. Venkatesh, V., Thong, J. Y., & Xu, X. (2012). Consumer acceptance and use of information technology: extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. MIS quarterly, 157-178.
69. Voorhees, C. M., Brady, M. K., Calantone, R., & Ramirez, E. (2016). Discriminant validity testing in marketing: an analysis, causes for concern, and proposed remedies. Journal of the academy of marketing science, 44(1), 119-134.
70. Wanick, V., & Bui, H. (2019). Gamification in Management: a systematic review and research directions. International Journal of Serious Games, 6(2), 57-74.
71. Whittaker, L., Mulcahy, R., & Russell-Bennett, R. (2021). ‘Go with the Flow’for Gamification and Sustainability Marketing. International Journal of Information Management, 61, 1-13.
72. Xiao, R., Wu, Z., Buruk, O. T., & Hamari, J. (2021). Enhance User Engagement using Gamified Internet of Things. Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.
73. Xu, F., Weber, J., & Buhalis, D. (2013). Gamification in tourism. In Information and communication technologies in tourism 2014 (pp. 525-537). Springer, Cham.
74. Xu, L., Shi, H., Shen, M., Ni, Y., Zhang, X., Pang, Y., ... & Li, F. (2022). The Effects of mHealth-Based Gamification Interventions on Participation in Physical Activity: Systematic Review. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 10(2), e27794.
75. Yang, Y., Asaad, Y., & Dwivedi, Y. (2017). Examining the impact of gamification on intention of engagement and brand attitude in the marketing context. Computers in Human Behavior, 73, 459-469.
76. Yu, C., Cheah, J. H., & Liu, Y. (2022). To stream or not to stream? Exploring factors influencing impulsive consumption through gastronomy livestreaming. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
77. Zainuddin, Z., Chu, S. K. W., Shujahat, M., & Perera, C. J. (2020). The impact of gamification on learning and instruction: A systematic review of empirical evidence. Educational Research Review, 30, 100326.
78. Zhao, X., Lynch Jr, J. G., & Chen, Q. (2010). Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and truths about mediation analysis. Journal of consumer research, 37(2), 197-206.