Super Market Bros. : A qualitative study on gamification of sustainable grocery purchases

Sammanfattning: Background: Gamification is the application of game design elements in non-gameenvironments and is used to optimise experiences. Existing literaturedoes not explain which game design elements are applicable tosustainable grocery purchases or why. Grocers need to understandwhat motivates customers to purchase sustainably before applyinggame design elements in practice. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to gain an understanding about howgamification could be used to encourage sustainable grocerypurchases. Research Question: Which game design elements are perceived by customers as motivators for purchasing sustainable groceries? Methodology: This research took a qualitative approach with an exploratorypurpose. The research approach is situated in the inductiveinterpretivist methodological research tradition. The empiricalmaterial was collected in two focus group discussions. A systematiccoding process was applied to uncover the meaning of theparticipants' perspectives. Conclusion: The findings of this study were that positive attitudes toward thegame design elements were required to encourage sustainablegrocery purchases. Game design elements could also shift the sourceof motivation to purchase sustainable groceries from external causesto internal goal-fulfilment. Endless game structures and the lure ofextrinsic rewards in the form of coupons and discounts were found tobe necessities in this context. The three important aspects of gamedesign elements found in this context are informational, progressive,and social. Contribution: This study is the first to explore the motivational, value-based, and attitudinal reasoning that explains why and how certain game design elements could motivate customers in the context of sustainable grocery shopping