Hooked by BusinessNews Publishing

Author:BusinessNews Publishing
Language: fra
Format: epub
Publisher: FichesdeLecture.com
Published: 2015-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Variable rewards work best when they fit into the narrative of a product rather than as artificial add-ons. And admittedly variable rewards are not pixie dust which can make bad products instantly more attractive. However, it's impressive how addictive a product can become when a user community and the chance to earn some variable rewards are added in.

A great example of the importance of variable rewards as opposed products using finite rewards is Zynga, the developers of the Facebook game FarmVille. In 2009, Farmville had 83.8 million active users tending their digital crops which generated more than $36 million in revenue for Zynga. By March 2012, Zynga's market valuation stood at more than $10 billion as the company introduced CityVille, ChefVille, FrontierVille and several other new games. Six months later, in November 2012, Zynga's stock was down by more than 80 percent. The reason? Zynga's new games were simply the original game in a new guise. The games were too predictable and players soon lost interest and investors quickly followed suit.

Variable rewards work because they add a sense of intrigue and an element of mystery. Products with finite variability become less engaging over time. A TV show, for example, can be viewed only once before everyone knows how everything turns out. By contrast, World of Warcraft, the world's largest online game, has more than 10 million active players eight years after it launched. That illustrates the staying power conferred by variable rewards.

“Platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Pintrest and Twitter all leverage user-generated content to provide visitors with a never-ending stream of newness. Of course, even sites utilizing infinite variability are not guaranteed to hold onto users forever. Eventually — to borrow from Michael Lewis’s title—the “new, new thing” comes along and consumers migrate to it for all kinds of different reasons. However, products utilizing infinite variability stand a better chance of holding onto users’ attention, while those with finite variability must constantly reinvent themselves just to keep pace.”

- Nir Eyal

So what kind of rewards should you offer your users? Don't lose sight of the fact your aim is to satisfy the users' needs in a way which leaves them wanting to re-engage in the future. The most habit-forming products generally use a mix of all three types of rewards – tribal, hunt and self-centered rewards.

Email is the perfect example of mixing all three types of rewards. When was the last time you checked your email? The variable rewards which compel you to compulsively keep an eye on your email inbox are:

Tribal or social – you don't know who is sending you an email and you naturally want to be seen as agreeable. You feel a social obligation to respond as soon as possible.

Hunt – you're a little bit curious about whether the next email will have something which will be good for your career or for your business interests.

Self – you also feel a little bit motivated to keep your inbox under control so you like to sort, categorize and delete unwanted messages ASAP.

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