The Role of Gamification in Enhancing Customer Engagement: Insights from the E-Commerce Sector

Gamification, Customer Engagement, E-Commerce, PLS-SEM, Self-Determination Theory

Gamification has drawn a lot of academic and management interest as one of the creative engagement tactics required by the increasingly competitive e-commerce industry. This study examines how gamification might improve consumer engagement on e-commerce platforms. It is based on Self-Determination Theory and Engagement Theory. Structured questionnaires were used to gather data from 114 active gamified e-commerce application users using a quantitative study approach. According to the suggested model, customer engagement is a multifaceted term that includes customer lifetime value, customer influence value, customer referral value, and customer feedback value. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to examine the data. The findings suggest that gamification significantly improves all aspects of customer engagement, with the impacts being more pronounced for customer influence and feedback value. By extending engagement theory in digital commerce contexts and providing empirical validation of the multifaceted impact of gamification, the study adds to the body of literature. E-commerce companies should proactively develop gamified elements to encourage interactive engagement, co-creation, and long-term relational value, according to managerial implications.