Tamagotchi-Style Game: How Dodo Brands Engages Users and Aids Shelter Pets

Dodo Brands, a renowned business collaborator with a strong digital presence, has long recognized the importance of maintaining robust communication with its customers through its mobile application. Notably, Dodo Brands fully embraces its unique brand philosophy by managing the entire customer engagement cycle in-house, without relying on third-party aggregators like Uber Eats or Glovo. This ethos extends to their delivery services, ensuring a comprehensive, seamless experience for the customer. In this paradigm, conducting retention campaigns and providing an experience not found in other apps is paramount. The incorporation of games and gamification elements serves as a perfect example of this, engaging users and further solidifying their bond with the brand.

Dodo Brands integrated an interactive game, "Tails," into their app to engage users and support their new brand manifesto, "Comfort Zone." By using a virtual pet concept, the campaign achieved a 16% revenue increase, a 50% boost in orders, and raised $25,000 for charity. This case demonstrates the power of gamification to foster loyalty, increase sales, and make a social impact.

What Was the Challenge?

Dodo Brands, known for its strong digital presence, faced a challenge: how to transition from aggressive sales tactics to a more relaxed, narrative-driven approach. With the launch of their new “Comfort Zone” brand manifesto, they needed to:

• Introduce a more customer-centric experience
• Shift away from traditional sales mechanics
• Increase brand awareness while deepening customer retention

Dodo’s goal was to create a unique experience in the app, one that would both engage users and align with the brand’s core values without simply pushing more products.

Brand-New Dodo Game

Dodo Brands found their innovative solution in a concept that's been around since the 90s: Tamagotchi. Remembering the positive experience of past games, Dodo Brands turned to InAppStory for help. Borrowing from the idea of a virtual pet, Dodo Brands partnered with InAppStory to breathe life into a creative solution. Together, they jointly designed an engaging in-app game called "Tails". Key features of the game:

• Virtual pet adoption
• Earning points
• Charity partnership

The game introduced an intriguing element to the app, designed to captivate users and subtly promote Dodo's brand repositioning. The aim of the game was for users to nurture their virtual pets, spend time with them, play, and arrange their habitats. To do this, users needed to earn virtual points, which could be gained through gameplay and by making real purchases in designated categories, effectively driving sales.

Moreover, this game was tied to a laudable cause through a partnership with several charity organizations dedicated to the care and provision for homeless animals. Each time a user engaged with their virtual pet, Dodo channeled a portion of its revenue to this charity. Thus, the act of caring for virtual pets was also an act of caring for real-life animals.

This unique game dynamic not only boosted engagement and brand loyalty, but it also led to increased sales and had a significant social impact. The game was designed in such a way to deeply resonate with the users, making them feel more connected to the brand and the cause it was championing, and encouraging them to spend more time within the app.

This collaborative venture between Dodo Brands and InAppStory paved the way for a more interactive, narrative-driven approach to customer engagement within the app, successfully aligning business goals with the heartwarming intent of the "Comfort Zone" campaign.

Why It Worked

The “Tails” game succeeded because it combined the following elements:

• Emotional engagement: Users formed a connection with their virtual pets, enhancing brand loyalty.
• Gamification: The interactive pet care game kept users engaged without feeling transactional.
• Cause-driven appeal: The partnership with animal charities added purpose to the gameplay, fostering a deeper sense of participation.
• In-app accessibility: The game integrated seamlessly into the app, creating a non-intrusive, fun way for users to engage.

The simplicity of the game and the ability to earn rewards through engagement, not just purchases, helped break through the noise of traditional retail campaigns.

Business Results

The "Tails" game was a resounding success. Dodo achieved a breakthrough in the like-for-like (LFL) revenue, which skyrocketed by 16%! Furthermore, the number of orders catapulted by an astounding 50%. This underscores that Dodo didn't just retain its existing customer base, but also became a magnet for new ones.

The game saw an impressive 22.7% conversion rate in-game Stories. The average session time also saw a considerable increase, with users spending an average of 73 seconds in the app.

The game attracted an impressive number of active players - 456 thousand, which was more than double the previous record of 192 thousand. Among these active customers, there was a notable increase in order frequency. On average, these users made 1.5 orders more than customers who didn't participate in the promotion.

Additionally, Dodo, along with their customers, managed to raise $25,000 for several charity foundation. This money was able to cover 6 months' worth of food for the animals in the charity shelters, as well as more than 100 visits to a veterinarian for animals that required medical attention.

The success of the "Tails" game highlights how effective gamification can be in driving user engagement. 

What You Can Learn from Dodo Brands

1. Gamification drives engagement: Introducing an element of fun can re-energize app usage, especially in a competitive market.
2. Blend social good with business goals: Supporting a cause within the app (like charity donations) creates emotional investment.
3. Encourage loyalty through creativity: Let users participate in activities that make them feel connected to the brand—without pushing direct sales.
4. Simplify content: User-friendly, non-transactional interactions (like pet care) often have a greater impact on retention than traditional product promotion.