It’s been a couple of years since the term “gamification” starting popping into the lexicon online. Most prominently, TED posted several videos on the topic. This one below is one of my favorite TED videos and a nice introduction to “gamification.”

In case you’re not familiar, “gamification” is a word used to describe the use of game techniques or mechanics applied to problem solving or other non-game applications. For example, Foursquare uses badges and a point system to engage its users and encourage them to check in to locations more frequently.

A recent post on Mashable, shows how nine companies have taken the idea of gamification and applied it to their marketing efforts. Retailers from Nike to Best Buy are grabbing onto this trend and setting the example for how to leverage games with customers. The author of the post even notes that a report by Gartner predicts that by 2015, 50 percent of organizations that manage innovation processes will use some form of gamification. These gamified services will become as important as Facebook, eBay, and Amazon.

If you haven’t considered gamification in your strategy, now is the time to pay attention and take notes.