The Potential of Gamification for Social Sustainability: Meaning and Purposes in Agri-Food Industry

Nowadays, digital platforms are applying some game-linked elements in their services with the aim to attract, retain and shape human interaction. Therefore, it is essential to investigate gamification with regard to its social sustainability. Gamification strategies are strategical in the agri-food industry to reach social and marketing goals. Despite the presence of several literature reviews on gamification, no study proposes a reflection on the meaning and purposes of gamification in the agri-food industry. This paper aims to identify the core dimensions underlying the concept of gamification, analysing its definitions and purposes through a systematic literature review, content analysis and principal component analysis. Eight core dimensions were detected leading to the conception of a new definition of gamification in the agri-food industry. Our results highlighted the potential of gamification to impact society, leaving points of reflection on how it can be made more inclusive and effective. Theoretical and practical implications were provided for academics, researchers, agri-food companies, policy makers, management engineers, technology makers, marketers and practitioners. The novelty of this study lies in the application of a social psychology methodology to give meaning to the words, overcoming the limits derived from qualitative research based on, only, content analysis.