The Journal of Marketing Research paper “Driving Mobile App User Engagement through Gamification” by Jun.-Prof. Jens Paschmann and his co-authors Hernán A. Bruno (University of Cologne), Harald J. van Heerde (UNSW Sydney), Franziska Völckner (University of Cologne), and Kristina Klein (University of Bremen) has been awarded the VHB Best Paper Award of the Marketing Section at the 2026 VHB conference in Göttingen.

The study investigates how gamification—the use of game elements such as points, levels, and badges in non-game contexts—shapes user engagement and business value in mobile applications.

About the Research

Based on unique field data from nearly 19,000 users of a gamified market research app, the authors examine how different reward mechanisms influence both gameplay behavior and economically relevant activities. The study focuses on hybrid reward architectures, in which apps combine traditional value-based rewards (e.g., vouchers or monetary rewards) with gamified rewards (e.g., earning experience points, climbing levels) designed to fulfil users’ basic psychological needs such as feeling competent. The results show that both types of rewards can substantially increase engagement, with game-based rewards being even more effective than traditional value-based rewards. Notably, gamified rewards come with zero costs for the app provider.

At the same time, the research highlights an important managerial insight: strong immersion in attaining gamified rewards may reduce users’ focus on activities that provide value for the provider, suggesting that gamification can create both opportunities and risks for firms relying on engagement-based business models.

Overall, the findings provide guidance for companies seeking to design effective digital customer engagement strategies across industries such as retail, media, finance, health care, and education.