Gamification and service quality in bike sharing: an empirical study in Italy

Purpose: Bike sharing (BS) is a phenomenon of growing interest in the sustainable mobility field. In recent years, many governments have implemented concrete actions to diffuse the services in cities, trying to encourage citizens' sustainable behavior. Several mobile applications (apps) related to the mobility sector have embedded gamification mechanics applied in non-gaming contexts, able to create and increase user engagement and to manage users' behavior (Deterding et al., 2011). The main purpose of this study is to understand whether app perception influences gamification, and how gamification improves service quality and user loyalty in BS systems. Design/methodology/approach: To examine the impact of gamification on service quality and loyalty, the study performed secondary data collection and qualitative analysis with in-depth interviews. Thereafter, a quantitative analysis was conducted, and the theoretical model was analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings: findings showed that the use of gamification mechanics in BS services improves users' loyalty and directly influences service quality. The gamification tool improves users' engagement, transferring rules, facilitating the achievement of goals and quality standards and enhancing the BS usage. Originality/value: This study uniquely contributes an understanding of the effect of gamification on service quality and loyalty in BS usage. It also provides some insight for companies and policymakers into implementing gamification mechanics in order to address new challenges for quality management.