Bringing together behavioural science and tech innovation, the team at VOL.AT (a local news site for Vorarlberg, western Austria) created a loyalty scheme, encouraging users to engage with its content by awarding them redeemable points, called Ländlepunkte, as they read articles.

Given how important it is to get users to log in, the project has surpassed expectations. “We used to have 3% of our users logged in,” says CEO of Russmedia Gerold Riedmann. “Now, about 30% of our repeat users are.” 

The loyalty scheme was created using techniques seen in gaming platforms to build a loyal base of users. Riedmann explains, “A extensive project like this wouldn’t have been possible without external backing. DNI funding offered us the chance to escape the zero price point trap.”