How Gamification Can Improve User Engagement in B2B SaaS: the example of Partoo

Product management is a complex process that involves a variety of tasks to ensure that a product is successful. One of the key components of product management is user engagement. Engaged users are more likely to use a product and recommend it to others, which can lead to increased revenue and growth. However, engaging users can be a challenging task, as users have different preferences and motivations.

One way to improve user engagement is through gamification. Gamification is the process of adding game-like elements to non-game contexts, such as a B2B SaaS product, to make them more engaging and fun. In a recent episode of Product Backstage, our video podcast about Product Management, Anaïs Berlioz-Latour, a Lead Product Manager at Partoo, discussed how gamification was used to engage their users in updating their information on their SaaS platform.

The Challenge: Updating User Information

Keeping user information up to date is a challenge that many platforms face. On the Partoo platform, the goal is for users to fill out as much information as possible and to update it as often as possible for better online visibility. If you update your opening hours or post up-to-date photos of your store, search engines will know that you're active and that the information is relevant for people. Therefore, your ranking will be better.

However, users were not motivated to update their information regularly because of an aging interface displaying too many fields at the same time. What needed to be updated was not straightforward and the need to update information was not clearly explained to users.

As Anaïs explained, "the problem we had was how to make users engaged in filling out this information."

Product Discovery Process

To tackle this challenge, Anaïs and her team went through an extensive product discovery process. They organized several workshops with Customer Success teams to list the main issues preventing their users from updating their information regularly. They identified 15 different problems that users faced when updating their information and prioritized them to focus on the 3 main ones. They then came up with two hypotheses on how to tackle them, one of which was "to make the pages more alive, with dynamic information.” The product managers believed that these hypotheses would add value to users and improve their engagement.

Gamification Solution

Thanks to various iterations in their design process, Anaïs' team decided to implement gamification as a solution to the challenge. By making the process of updating information more engaging and fun, users would be more motivated to update their information regularly.

The Process

The team began the process of prototyping and iterating on the design for the gamification solution. They went back to their users for feedback and showed them the prototypes to get a better understanding of what they wanted. The team discovered that users had difficulty navigating the platform and identifying which fields needed updating.

Berlioz-Latour explained, "So the information is not clear enough, there is a lot of information, and so the user feels lost. They don't know what they should do first, that's the problem."

Results

The gamification solution was successful, and the team was able to improve user engagement. Partoo’s users are now more motivated to update their information regularly, and their online visibility increased. The team's discovery process, which included identifying user problems, prioritizing them, and coming up with hypotheses, was critical to the success of the solution.

Berlioz-Latour said, "Because that was precisely the goal of all this, to create this close relationship with the end-users, to show that, in the end, we are there to accompany them and help them."

Conclusion

Gamification is an effective way to improve user engagement in product management. By making the process of updating information more engaging and fun, users are more motivated to update their information regularly.

By implementing gamification, product managers can improve user engagement, increase visibility, and ultimately, drive business success. The key is to remember that gamification is not a one-size-fits-all solution and must be customized to the needs of the users and the product. By using gamification, product managers can create a positive relationship with their users, which will lead to long-term success.