Using Augmented Reality and Games for Bank Engagement

Making Banking More Compelling with Interactivity

Gamification has come a long way in categories such as education and health, but Jonathon Camhi explains in 2014 Forecast: Gamification and the Year Ahead in Banking that in the banking world, gamification lags far behind. When reviewing banking gamification on a global scale, an in-depth survey by Infosys reveals that some banks in South Korea and Singapore have adopted gamification applications. This research study included 160 lending institutions worldwide, but less than 10% have instituted any form of gamification. However, “35%” of those banks have plans to unveil gamification applications in the future, specifically in the next two years.

One particular bank in Singapore has come a long way in creating a gamification experience for their customers and their children. OCBC Bank has released PlayMoolah, which allows parents can open a shared savings account with their children. This bank account allows children to “play online games” to educate children about financial responsibility. The clever aspect of these online games is that points can be earned and then donated to charity.

While the US isn’t quite on the level of these international banks, Grow Financial in Tampa Bay, Florida is attracting potential customers with a storefront augmented reality game. The game educates customers about the credit union’s services and offers discounts to their services for players who can beat their games.

Banks want to get involved in gamification to retain their existing customers and widen their customer base.

Banks are trying to build back trust and confidence with their customers. They can use gamification to spread awareness and financial education to their customers… The banks want to get in on this for customer retention.

While these are two brief examples of gamification in banking, there are newer initiatives in training like BankersLab that is beginning to take place. We’ll surely be seeing even more US and International cases of banking gamification soon.

CC Image by StockMonkeys.com