How to establish a user incentive system to enhance user stickiness?

Most mature apps now have a similar membership system , points system , coin system, and incentive system, but what kind of rules are the most effective behind these systems? This is a proposition that many product managers and product operators must face.

In this regard, we must admit that there is a lot to learn from the settings of online games , especially mobile games .

So, let us learn about the incentive system of general online games and see how the system should be built.

From the perspective of the game, let’s see what the structure diagram is

(1) Fun (interest) : entrance and external force

Interest is obviously the entrance for users to enter this siege. Once entered, it is also the wall of this siege. If you want to go out, you will inevitably encounter this wall. There will be a screening under the "supervision" of the external force. If the user's escape force is greater than the external force, the user will exit the siege; if the external force is greater than the escape force, the user will return to the inner loop.

(2) Competition and Levels/Quests: The Underlying Structure

This is the basis of the inner loop. What users continuously do in the inner loop is mainly competing and completing level tasks, which consumes most of the users' time.

(3) Ranking/Completion: Central Force

The generation of central force is actually the self-realization of users through ranking and completing tasks, so it will generate the strongest demand motivation, forming the central force of the entire internal circulation, which is equivalent to the heart. Competing with others means competing and comparing with others. Completing cards and tasks is actually comparing with yourself or with the makers of the game rules. Completing it also realizes yourself.

(4) Points/Coins: Accumulate Power

Points and coins can be obtained through competition and level tasks, or through ranking and completion results. Generally, the latter is achieved more frequently, so the points/coins will be more than the former. No matter where it comes from, the points and gold coins link is actually a process of accumulating power. Assuming that this link is cancelled, it actually has no direct impact on the internal cycle. The worst that can happen is that you can get props directly after passing the level (which is indeed the case in many cases). Then why is there an extra link of points/coins? In fact, a hurdle is deliberately added to allow users to accumulate strength. The advantage of charging is that users may not release all of it. If they do not release it completely, they will feel it is a pity to have charged but not released it, thus continuing the internal cycle. On the other hand, charging can give users space and allow them to release selectively. At the same time, the progress from charging to releasing is deliberately lengthened, which makes the internal cycle path longer and the time users can stay longer year-on-year.

(5) Items/Skills: Release

This stage is the release of points and gold coins. The released results are then reapplied to the competition and level tasks, linking with the underlying structure and completing the closed loop of the internal cycle.

In addition, it should be noted that:

1. The simpler the gameplay of a game is, the more powerful the internal loop needs to be. In fact, it requires a strong focus on ranking and completion. For example, games like the previously popular shooter game and the currently popular Candy Crush Saga that always tops the list of casual games, as well as H5 games that can quickly become popular on WeChat , all have simple gameplay. In order to retain users as much as possible, they place great emphasis on ranking and completion effectiveness, and even amplify the ranking and completion results through WeChat sharing. For another example, WeChat Sports can actually be seen as a game. The underlying gameplay is just walking, and the peripheral force is very weak, but the central force is indeed the entire power of this gameplay. The presentation method is directly the ranking list , and the central force is amplified by pinning the cover to the top, allowing the internal cycle to continue. Although this "game" does not have point props, users will develop props for themselves by "taking a few more steps" or even using technical cheats to achieve a better internal circulation, which shows how terrifying the central force is.
2. If the game is complex and large, then the external forces are usually strong . Therefore, the requirements for the internal circulation are not that high at this time. In fact, most stand-alone games only have strong external forces and do not pay much attention to the internal circulation. People who plan stand-alone mobile games understand this. Stand-alone games will not pay much attention to completing tasks and rankings. Even if they do, the entrances to these may be deeper.

How can non-gaming products learn from this?

If we view community participation as a gameplay, that is, the underlying structure, many communities have usually established a ranking and completion system when they are in operation. For example, they will set up leaderboards, sign-in tasks, and some have also established points/coins. There is an overwhelming amount of virtual currency in various communities, but because the props and skills released in the end are often exchanged for prizes that are irrelevant to the underlying structure, they have no effect on the underlying structure at all, resulting in a break in the internal cycle and a loss of a lot of central strength. Most point malls have this problem. Is there any case of completing the inner loop? have. Especially in the taxi industry, the internal cycle can often be completed naturally, that is, points are obtained, points are exchanged for taxi coupons, and taxi coupons act back on the underlying structure, thus realizing the internal cycle.

Not every product can easily complete the internal cycle, but if you are not aware of the existence of the internal cycle, it will greatly reduce the central force. The central force that is hard to generate is released outside the siege during the release link. How can you still surround your users?

As mentioned earlier, the simpler a game is, the stronger the internal circulation and central force should be. Usually the underlying structure of a community is very simple, it is nothing more than discussing one content, so we can regard the community product as equivalent to a simple game product like WeChat operation from a gaming perspective. So at this time, the stronger the internal circulation and central force, the higher the user stickiness.

Summarize

I guess you have heard it by now. There are only two ways to increase user stickiness. Either enhance the fun of the underlying structure to make the peripheral force stronger, so that when users are about to escape, they are trapped by the peripheral force and return to the inner loop. The way to increase it may be through content optimization or adding community gameplay. Or enhance the central force. Even if there is nothing fun at the bottom, it will allow users to stay in the inner loop more continuously in the existing underlying structure. Of course, the best approach is to strengthen the internal circulation and increase the central force, then you will be invincible, at least within the product life cycle , you will definitely be invincible.