It isn't news that we spend more time than ever before on our smartphones. According to one study, Indians spend up to seven hours a day staring at one screen or another. If you're a business with an app, this should be good news, right?
Well, not quite. While it's true that people are glued—some would even say addicted—to their phones, there's also a ridiculous amount of choice at their disposal. We're so spoiled for choice there's even a term for it—app fatigue. Where users are so overwhelmed or fatigued by the sheer spectrum of apps in front of them that they simply stop downloading new apps. It shouldn't come as a surprise then that Glance, which basically controls the valuable real-estate of a smartphone lock screen, has vaulted to unicorn status.
So how do apps differentiate themselves from the competition and keep users engaged? Traditionally, through gamification—adding game mechanics to non-game environments to stimulate interest and participation. Now, however, companies—in fields as diverse as OTT streaming, travel, and e-commerce—are taking it a step further by adding literal games to their platforms.
According to Gamezop, a startup that builds games and integrates them into the platforms of its 3,500-plus clients, its games increase customer engagement by 15-40%. Offer this to most startups, and they'd probably tear your arm off. Today's story, though, isn't just about casual gaming becoming an increasingly common feature on most apps. It's also about how this has given rise to a plethora of casual gaming-focused companies, each jostling for the attention of India's biggest apps..