Celebrated Innovation: See How PlayAbly is Making Headlines and Earning Recognition in Gamified Engagement
PlayAbly Spotlighted in Shoptalk 2025 Innovation
After receiving the coveted Audience Choice award at the Shark Reef Startup Pitch, PlayAbly CEO John Cheng took the stage to thank the Shoptalk community and reaffirm the company’s mission to transform digital commerce through play. In his remarks, Cheng emphasized that PlayAbly’s shoppable games are more than entertainment—they’re strategic tools that turn engagement into insights and clicks into conversions. He credited the team’s bold vision and the growing demand for more human, interactive shopping experiences.
PlayAbly Featured in Huemanize’s 2025 Trend Report
We’re honored to be recognized in Huemanize’s 2025 Trends Report, which explores the biggest shifts shaping the future of digital engagement. As brands seek deeper, more meaningful ways to connect with consumers, Huemanize spotlights gamification as a leading trend—and PlayAbly as a cutting-edge innovator in the space.
Our platform turns shopping into an experience, blending entertainment with data-driven strategy to help brands drive acquisition, engagement, and loyalty. This recognition reinforces PlayAbly’s role at the forefront of customer experience innovation, where play meets purpose.
Our Podcast
PlayAbly Podcast Episode 27: How Gamification Boosts Conversions: Behind the Psychology
Is your ecommerce store blending into the Shopify sea of sameness? In this episode of The PlayAbly Podcast, we’re joined by PlayAbly CEO and founder John Cheng (https://playably.ai/) to uncover the science, psychology, and serious ROI behind ecommerce gamification.
From his early days at Unity to the founding of PlayAbly during the COVID-era ecommerce shakeup, John shares how game mechanics—built on behavioral psychology and user interactivity—can radically increase conversions, customer engagement, and brand recall.
PlayAbly Podcast Episode 26: Why Brand Ads Flop in Games—and What Actually Works
Brand ads in games? They’ve been called the Holy Grail of digital marketing… and yet, most have failed spectacularly. In this episode of the Playably Podcast, our host Kajal Ford sits down with Playably CEO and founder John Chang to unpack why traditional in-game brand advertising never took off—and why the solution isn’t squeezing ads into games, but instead bringing games into brands.
John shares his insider perspective from his days building Unity Ads—a multi-billion dollar in-game ad network—and explains why even major players like Nike and Disney couldn’t crack the code. From the psychology of the gaming mindset to the failures of incentivized video ads, we break down why game players just don’t engage with brand messages the way marketers hope.
Instead, we explore how shoppable games and ecommerce gamification—like what Playably offers—flip the script by embedding gameplay into the shopping experience. We also touch on the rising impact of games on SEO performance, the power of first-party data collection through play, and how brands are now building interactive shopping journeys that actually convert.
PlayAbly Podcast Episode 25: From App Stores to Shopify: What DTC Brands Can Learn from the Mobile Games
In this episode of the Playably Podcast, co-founder Angelo joins to break down a major parallel between two digital revolutions: the mobile gaming explosion of the 2010s and today’s Shopify store boom. What does Flappy Bird have in common with high-fiber candy brands? More than you think.
We explore how platforms like Unity and Shopify democratized access—lowering the barrier to entry while flooding the market with copycats and competition. For ecommerce founders and marketers, it’s not enough to launch a store—you need to hook your audience fast, onboard them thoughtfully, and make that first impression unforgettable.
×
TrendSetting
PlayAbly: A Trendsetter in an AI-First World
In a time when the world feels like it’s running on chaos and innovation in equal measure, PlayAbly is proud to be recognized as a forward-thinking force in the 2025 Trends in an AI-First World report. Inspired by the legendary Mary Meeker and Amy Webb, this report dives into what’s next for connected consumer products—and PlayAbly is right at the heart of it.
As brands and retailers scramble to adapt to shifting consumer behaviors and AI-driven expectations, PlayAbly is setting the pace with gamified experiences that aren’t just fun—they’re functional, data-rich, and strategically brilliant. Our inclusion underscores our role in shaping how brands connect with audiences in a world that demands both agility and authenticity.
Informative
PlayAbly’s Gamified Engagement Strategy Featured on Predictable Revenue
PlayAbly Founder Angelo Ferro was featured on Predictable Revenue, sharing how the company evolved from AI-driven landing pages to immersive, shoppable game experiences. By blending mobile gaming principles with e-commerce strategy, PlayAbly boosts user engagement, data capture, and conversions.
Ferro emphasized the power of real-world demos in building trust and showcasing how gamification can turn casual site visits into meaningful brand interactions. The feature reinforces PlayAbly’s role as a pioneer in gamified customer engagement.
2X
Increase in Conversion Rate
20%
Decrease in Bounce Rate
60%
Increase in Engagement
Trendsetting
PlayAbly Makes Waves at Shoptalk Spring 2025
We’re thrilled to be featured in Coresight Research’s Shoptalk Spring 2025 Shark Reef Startup Pitch Recap! PlayAbly took the stage alongside the industry’s most innovative startups, showcasing how gamified engagement is transforming how brands acquire, understand, and retain customers.
As highlighted in the recap, our AI-powered experiences don’t just entertain—they deliver measurable impact through smarter customer insights, deeper personalization, and stronger brand loyalty. From retail to DTC, PlayAbly is helping brands win in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Great Site
