The Gamification of a Business Model — what you can learn from Dropbox

In my continuance of analyzing different modular structures of a business model, another lego-like vector popped up on my radar screen to further analyze: gamification. Gamification is nothing new but some of the high tech companies have taken it to another level. From my perspective, we are still in its infancy of applying gamification to the entire business model of companies in any sector but obviously, the airline industry has been conducting components of gamification in their frequent flyer loyalty programs for decades. Yes — I'm a frequent flyer member of American Airlines, Delta, Southwest and United. The problem with gamification of the loyalty points in the airline industry is flawed: I have to wait a long time to acquire instant gratification. But that's a topic for another discussion.

There are various gamification strategies and tactics but one of the best examples recently of applying gamification to a business model is from an incredible startup out of Silicon Valley: Dropbox. If you don’t know anything about Dropbox, there is an excellent article in Wired about this upstart. I am a paid user myself. At first, I started using their service for free for about three to four months. Throughout, I have been fascinated with their business model but it was the gaming component which they offer under their freemium strategy that caught my attention from a business modeling perspective. MORE

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