Gamification and service quality in bike sharing: an empirical study in Italy

PurposeBike sharing (BS) is a phenomenon of growing interest in the sustainable mobility field. In recent years, many governments have implemented concrete actions to diffuse the services in cities, trying to encourage citizens' sustainable behavior. Several mobile applications (apps) related t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:TQM journal 2021-10, Vol.33 (6), p.1222-1244
Main Authors: Pasca, Maria Giovina, Guglielmetti Mugion, Roberta, Toni, Martina, Di Pietro, Laura, Renzi, Maria Francesca
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applications programs
Bicycles
COVID-19
Customer services
Empirical analysis
Gamification
Literature reviews
Mechanics
Mechanics (physics)
Mobile computing
Multivariate statistical analysis
Pollution
Qualitative analysis
Quality management
Quality of service
Quality standards
Scooters
Total quality
User behavior
Vandalism
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Summary:PurposeBike sharing (BS) is a phenomenon of growing interest in the sustainable mobility field. In recent years, many governments have implemented concrete actions to diffuse the services in cities, trying to encourage citizens' sustainable behavior. Several mobile applications (apps) related to the mobility sector have embedded gamification mechanics applied in non-gaming contexts, able to create and increase user engagement and to manage users' behavior (Deterding et al., 2011). The main purpose of this study is to understand whether app perception influences gamification, and how gamification improves service quality and user loyalty in BS systems.Design/methodology/approachTo examine the impact of gamification on service quality and loyalty, the study performed secondary data collection and qualitative analysis with in-depth interviews. Thereafter, a quantitative analysis was conducted, and the theoretical model was analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM).Findingsfindings showed that the use of gamification mechanics in BS services improves users' loyalty and directly influences service quality. The gamification tool improves users' engagement, transferring rules, facilitating the achievement of goals and quality standards and enhancing the BS usage.Originality/valueThis study uniquely contributes an understanding of the effect of gamification on service quality and loyalty in BS usage. It also provides some insight for companies and policymakers into implementing gamification mechanics in order to address new challenges for quality management.
ISSN:1754-2731
1754-274X
DOI:10.1108/TQM-05-2020-0118