Jack in the Box introduced an in-app, AI-powered “choose your own adventure” game to deliver more deals to customers and increase engagement. More quick-service restaurants (QSRs) are turning to gamification to reverse slumping traffic, spotlight value offerings, and attract more diners to their apps. Offering gamified experiences is an effective way for QSRs—and even retailers—to get new customers into their orbits while encouraging existing ones to order more frequently.

The news: Facebook is promoting its Pokes feature in an effort to increase user engagement. Pokes—a mainstay feature of the early Facebook experience—are regaining popularity, prompting Facebook to make it a more central part of the user experience, per TechCrunch. Users can now track their “Pokes count” with friends, essentially a streak, on top of a dedicated Poke button added to Facebook profiles. Our take: Meta relies on Facebook for the lion’s share of its ad revenues. While Pokes may seem to be a low-stakes experiment, re-engaging younger users is a high-stakes battle, and even small features can tip the balance if they create sticky user habits.

The news: Google Translate is taking on Duolingo with a slate of new features, including a focus on gamification. An app update includes customizable language lessons based on skill level and is currently available for English, Spanish, and French learners. The lessons track users’ daily progress, similar to Duolingo’s popular “streaks” feature, and can create practice scenarios based on user prompts. Our take: Gamification and interactive features can boost engagement, but AI tools aren’t free to operate. Google may swallow Gemini’s translation costs to keep the service free, a perk that Big Tech’s deep pockets can easily handle and that Duolingo might have a difficult time matching.

The news: According to a recent survey by money management and safety app Greenlight, financial literacy is a top concern among US families. While this type of education is in high demand, 47% of financial institutions (FIs) don’t offer it at all, per the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Our take: Offering solutions that help young families can help build stronger relationships with parents and their kids (who are likely to bank where their parents do). While it’s difficult to quantify the ROI of offering these solutions, the benefits of improved customer loyalty and young customer acquisition can help set up an FI for long-term success.

The news: Wegmans added Instacart’s Caper Carts—AI-powered smart carts—to a store in Syracuse, New York. Our take: Wegmans has staked its brand on exceptional customer service.

This could give Chime access to more Gen Alpha and Gen Z customers.

Brand loyalty membership is rebounding in the UK as shoppers turn to loyalty programs for savings. Supermarkets are driving innovation, but there is space for brands and retailers of all sizes to boost revenues and forge stronger customer connections.

Samsung GameBreaks turns ads into games: A new CTV ad unit lifts brand recall by 53% and signals a shift toward high-engagement, opt-in formats.

As customers grab the same grocery staples they have for decades, Walmart is betting that gamifying the experience will challenge those habits. The retailer plans to launch Walmart Unlimited, a three-part miniseries that features the entrepreneurs behind its products. Launched last month on Spatial, the game includes full commerce integration that enables in-app purchases.

US paid retail membership fee revenues will be higher than ever before in 2025, reaching $46.39 billion, according to our May 2024 forecast. That’s an increase of 10.8% YoY, with over half (51.8%) of these revenues going to Amazon.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how retailers are giving customers more bang for their buck with discounts and freebies, how gamified loyalty programs are becoming more sophisticated, and more. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Vice President Suzy Davidkhanian and Senior Analyst Blake Droesch.

As competition intensifies and consumers continue to seek value, retailers will need to double down on how to differentiate themselves and offer shoppers what they want, wherever they are.

How can retailers in grocery, the second-largest ecommerce category, optimize their online business to succeed?

Every step of the grocery shopping journey is being digitized; how do consumers feel about it?

Consumers today are mindful about when, where, and how often they spend due to continued economic uncertainty. For price-conscious consumers, loyalty programs provide opportunities to spend more comfortably thanks to discounts and deals.

Retailers turn to virtual experiences to boost engagement, awareness: Walmart, Ikea, and Skechers are among the many trying to increase their appeal to younger shoppers while driving sales.

US consumers belonged to a total of 17.9 loyalty program memberships in 2023, up from 14.8 in 2019, according to a June 2023 report from Bond.

The proliferation of loyalty programs has heightened competition, so retailers will have to dig deeper into their customer data to drive active participation.