Gamification and Loyalty: The Schär Case Study Featuring an In-App Game

How can a video game become a powerful customer loyalty tool?

That’s the challenge that inspired Match&Taste, the game developed by Code This Lab for Schär, an international brand specializing in gluten-free products.

A gamification project integrated into the Schär Club app, leveraging the mechanics of a classic Match-3 puzzle game to engage users, encourage regular app usage, and create a direct connection between gameplay, the loyalty program, and online shopping.

The goal goes beyond entertainment: it's about turning time spent playing into meaningful opportunities for brand interaction.

For our team, collaborating with Schär's professionals on this project was particularly rewarding, as it perfectly illustrates what we mean by strategic gaming.

The game isn't a standalone feature, but rather the heart of a broader, carefully designed experience aimed at helping the brand achieve its business objectives.

That's exactly why, when working with brands and companies, we always recommend starting with one essential step: clearly defining the goals you want to achieve through gaming.

The Project: Bringing Gaming into the Schär Club Ecosystem

Schär Club is the brand's loyalty program, designed to offer its community dedicated content, promotions, exclusive benefits, and experiences centered around the gluten-free lifestyle.

As part of this ecosystem, Schär decided to introduce a new interactive experience to make its relationship with users even more engaging. The game has initially launched in selected markets, including the United States, Germany, Austria, Spain, and Turkey.

This led to the creation of Match&Taste, a game integrated into the Schär Club app and designed around three main objectives:

• Customer Loyalty: Encourage users to return to the app, increasing engagement frequency and user retention.
• E-commerce Conversions: Create new purchasing opportunities by connecting the gaming experience with the discovery of Schär products.
• Audience Insights: Gain valuable insights into user preferences through their interactions with content and recipes.

Gamification thus becomes an integral part of the brand's customer engagement strategy, giving users another compelling reason to open the app and actively participate in the community.

Match&Taste: Where Match-3 Meets the Gluten-Free World

For this project, we chose one of the most recognizable gameplay formats in the casual gaming industry: Match-3, a puzzle game where players match at least three identical symbols to complete objectives and progress through levels.

This choice was driven by a specific need: to deliver a simple, intuitive, and accessible gaming experience for an adult audience, including users with little or no gaming experience.

The concept revolves around a familiar everyday question: "What should I cook today?"

The game turns this question into a journey of gluten-free recipe discovery, combining the enjoyment of gaming with the interests of the Schär community.

The visual elements also reflect the brand's identity: the symbols players match represent gluten-free grains and cereals, while the Schär logo appears as a special element within the gameplay.

Game Mechanics

The gameplay follows classic Match-3 mechanics: players must match three or more identical symbols to complete each level's objective within a limited number of moves.

Matching four or more symbols creates a special bonus piece that can clear surrounding elements, making it easier to complete the challenge.

The game also features 300 levels with varying degrees of difficulty, designed to keep the experience engaging without making it overly complex.

An introductory tutorial guides new players through the game mechanics, while a level map allows them to track their progress and see the rewards they can unlock.

The simplicity of the gameplay is one of the project's key strengths: players can quickly understand the rules and focus on having fun, progressing through the game, and achieving their goals.

Play, Complete Levels, and Unlock New Recipes

What makes Match&Taste unique is the connection between progressing through the game and discovering new recipes.

By completing specific levels, players can unlock recipes dedicated to the gluten-free lifestyle.

The first recipe becomes available at level five, with additional recipes unlocked every ten levels.

This reward system is closely aligned with the interests of the target audience, turning each completed challenge into an opportunity to discover new dishes and cooking ideas.

Players are motivated to progress not only to reach the next level, but also to unlock useful content they can enjoy in their everyday lives.

Unlocked recipes can also be saved to a favorites list, allowing users to build a personal collection they can access at any time within the Schär Club ecosystem.

This feature delivers a twofold benefit: it enriches the user experience while giving the brand valuable insights into its community's preferences.

Gamification and Loyalty: Rewarding User Engagement

Match&Taste is more than just a branded video game: it's an integral part of the Schär Club loyalty program.

The gaming experience is connected to the Seeds points system, which allows users to earn rewards and redeem exclusive vouchers.

Playing the game therefore contributes to the loyalty journey, alongside other activities that allow users to collect points within the app.

Making the system even more engaging is the Daily Bonus, a reward mechanic designed to encourage users to return regularly.

The bonus is awarded when users launch the game.

This creates a system that combines several motivational drivers:

• Completing a challenge
• Unlocking a recipe
• Collecting points
• Earning new rewards

From a marketing perspective, this is one of the most valuable applications of gamification:

turning occasional interactions into lasting habits through a system of goals, progression, and rewards.

From Gameplay to E-Commerce: Turning Gaming into a Shopping Journey

One of the most significant features of Match&Taste is the integration between the game and Schär's e-commerce platform.

Recipes unlocked during gameplay are more than just virtual rewards.

On each recipe page, users can discover the Schär products needed to prepare the dish and access the online store directly to purchase them.

The journey is simple:

• Play the game
• Unlock a recipe
• Discover the products
• Shop online

This creates a natural connection between entertainment and online shopping.

The game also helps showcase the brand's product range, presenting Schär products in a practical context that aligns with consumers' interests and everyday needs.

This is where one of the project's greatest strengths comes into play: using gaming not only as an engagement tool, but also as a meaningful touchpoint along the customer journey.

Why Include a Video Game in a Customer Loyalty Strategy?

The Schär case study demonstrates how gaming can be integrated into a marketing strategy focused on building long-term relationships with consumers.

Game mechanics create new opportunities for brand interaction and give users compelling reasons to keep coming back.

In Match&Taste, every feature serves a specific strategic purpose.