Assessing the Role of the Gamification and the Social Nature of Technology in Online Stores (Case Study: MODISEH online Store)

Gamification is one of the newest features that affects the intent of customers’ buying by inducing the social nature to an online store. The purpose of this study is to assess the role gamification and the social nature of technology in online stores. This study has been conducted in the MODISEH online store and is a cross sectional - survey research based on its nature. The main instrument for collecting data is a questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha= 0.817) which the composite reliability of all aspects of the questionnaire is higher than 0.7. The statistical population of this study consisted of 396 customers of the MODISEH online store who were selected by random sampling. To test the hypotheses, structural equation modeling (SEM) technique and LISREL software have been used. The research results have shown that direct and indirect gamification (through gratification and interactivity) affects customer intent. On the other hand, gamification improves the social nature of the online store and turns shopping from an online store into an enjoyable experience. While the social nature of technology does not directly affect the intent of customers’ buying, it is also beneficial to customers through the gratification and improved interoperability.