I like to keep a close eye on Amazon Flex and try to guess what they’re going to do next before they do it. So far I’ve been mostly right. I saw that Amazon was heavily invested in the Activity Hub and that we should expect more changes there, including rewards. Shortly after posting the article they came out with the rewards program in the Activity Hub. So, my credentials are pretty good but I don’t have any insider info. Just going based on what I would do as a developer if I were in their shoes.
Gamify the Flex App
Gamification is a great way to keep users engaged. Amazon wants drivers to continue driving for Flex. They don’t want them moving to other platforms like InstaCart or Uber.
This is what the Activity Hub and Rewards program are really all about. They’ve gamified the Amazon Flex app to try and get the results as shown in the image above. In fact, in Amazon’s case I would say the image should look more like this:
Expect More
We should expect more gamification coming to the Amazon Flex app this year. Meaning, they’ll make Amazon Flex seem more like a game rather than a boring gig worker app. Like they’ve been doing already with the Activity Hub. This is fine, except that drivers are still getting paid the same or even less. The incentive they’ve created to work more isn’t real, it’s psychological.
Prediction
I think it’s a very reasonable prediction to say that Amazon will be adding leaderboard to the Amazon Flex app. Basically, they’ll be comparing you to other drivers in your area and show you how you compare with them. The metrics will be the usual delivery quality and reliability already present in the Activity Hub. Most likely they’ll add more metrics to this like how your rewards compare to others and how much you’ve worked compared to top drivers. This way, they can motivate drivers to work more and harder for the same or less pay.
I don’t expect them to be using drivers names in the leader boards. Rather, they’ll compare drivers based on metrics and they have a wealth of data to do this because you better believe that everything you do while working Amazon Flex is tracked.
Intention
I believe the real intention for Amazon Flex to gamify their app is so that they can create more division and competition among drivers. They don’t want drivers to be forming groups and working together. As we’ve seen in the past, when left to their own devices Amazon Flex drivers can become very creative:
Amazon obviously needs to have some sort of control over the drivers. Since we’re independent contractors they to have to be creative in how they go about that. The Activity Hub, competition, division, rewards, gamification, and the fear of being deactivated is how they maintain their control. Looking forward into 2021 we should expect more of these sorts of tactics.
Appreciate it!