INDEX / AGENCY
Gamification Agency — Making Apps Stickier
A specialized agency that retrofits existing apps and websites with gamification mechanics — points, badges, leaderboards, and challenges — to drive retention and engagement.
▶ WATCH THE SOURCE SEGMENT — Startup idea someone should steal01 THE IDEA
This is a productized agency play targeting companies that have built functional products but are leaving retention and engagement on the table. The core offering is auditing a client's app or website and implementing gamification systems (streaks, points, leaderboards, badges, unlockable content) proven by Duolingo, social platforms, and consumer apps to dramatically increase DAU/MAU ratios and reduce churn.
The opportunity is to become the recognized specialist in gamification consulting/implementation at a time when the trend is visibly accelerating — both in consumer apps and increasingly in B2B SaaS. Greg notes his own firm LCA already does this as part of a broader design mandate, suggesting clients are actively asking for it; a focused competitor could undercut and out-specialize generalist design agencies. Productized packages (audit + implementation sprint) make this scalable without proportional headcount growth.
02 THE NUMBERS
$120K – $800K
$3K + 60h
$5K + 120h
3/10
7 · GROWING →
UX/product design, gamification system design, client management, front-end development, sales/positioning
03 THE VERDICT
Validated demand (Greg's own firm gets inbound for this), a nearly empty competitive landscape for pure-play specialists, and a high-value outcome (retention improvement) that commands premium agency fees. The trend is structural, not a fad — rising CAC makes retention ROI undeniable for clients. Productizing the offering into a repeatable audit+sprint model is the key to scaling without burning out.
04 THE FIELD
- Bigdoor (now part of WildTangent)est. 2009DECLINING · ADDED 2026-06-07
EARLY GAMIFICATION PLATFORM, MOSTLY INACTIVE
Early gamification-as-a-service platform; largely defunct, leaving room for a modern successor.
- Bunchball / Nitroest. 2005DECLINING · ADDED 2026-06-07
ENTERPRISE GAMIFICATION LEGACY PLAYER
Enterprise-focused gamification platform now rolled into SAP; not competing for SMB/startup clients.
- Gamifyest. 2012STEADY · ADDED 2026-06-07
NICHE PLAYER, SMALL MARKET SHARE
Offers gamification campaigns and tools; less focused on full-product UX transformation.