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November 20, 2025
Three insights shaping the future of Shopping & Finance apps
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SubscribeWith more ways than ever for consumers to spend, save, or earn, loyalty has become a must-have value exchange that users expect their apps to participate in. Traditional retention tactics are losing their edge, especially in categories like Shopping and Finance, where high-intent actions are often infrequent. As a result, the most innovative apps are turning to gamified experiences as a way to bridge commerce and entertainment.
In our recent webinar on Rewarding every step, we explored how Shopping and Finance apps are rising to meet these new expectations. In the session, Mistplay brought together leaders from ShopBack and True Finance to unpack how loyalty programs within their apps are reshaping engagement, retention, and long-term value by transforming everyday interactions into meaningful value exchanges.
In this article, we break down three core insights they shared on how gaming rewards are reshaping loyalty strategies across these high-value app verticals. Let’s dive in.
👀 Related reading: How gaming offers drive revenue for high-value app verticals
Carolina Paradas: US GM of ShopBack
Carolina leads ShopBack’s expansion in North America for one of Asia’s largest shopping and cashback platforms, serving 55 million users1 across 13 markets2. ShopBack recently launched ShopBack Play, its gaming rewards channel, giving the team firsthand experience in combining shopping, cashback, and gameplay to elevate user engagement.
Tim Yelchaninov: Co-Founder and CEO of True Finance
Tim heads True Finance, a top-100 U.S. Finance app3 offering cash advances and financial tools designed for everyday Americans. With gamified earn features as a key part of their value proposition from the start, they’re leveraging the power of games to help Americans living paycheck to paycheck earn more.
Marc Bearman: GM of Loyalty Solutions at Mistplay
A veteran in mobile gaming, advertising, and loyalty, Marc has held previous leadership roles at Unity, Twitter, and Fetch Rewards, and today leads Mistplay’s Loyalty Solutions division. His focus is on helping non-gaming apps use gameplay to drive revenue, retention, and long-term loyalty.
Together, the three offered a blend of strategic vision, operational expertise, and hands-on experience in loyalty, gaming, and rewards.
In Shopping and Finance apps, loyalty can no longer be measured solely by purchases or financial transactions. Publishers are increasingly expanding loyalty into the “in-between” moments and natural lulls that occur between high-intent visits, such as shopping trips and budget check-ins. Gaming and rewards are emerging as powerful ways to fill these gaps, giving users reasons to return more frequently and engage more deeply.
ShopBack’s approach, as discussed by Carolina Paradas, is a prime example of this in action.
"By having gaming, we now have the opportunity to reach the consumer in that in-between shopping-trip moment, get them engaged, and get them to actually use the app probably twice as much as before, because they don't necessarily have to spend anything to get rewarded. Our strategy is to really focus on how we create micro-actions to bring the consumer in more often."
– Carolina Paradas, US GM, ShopBack
For Finance apps, those moments matter just as much, as Tim Yelchaninov details how gaming rewards complement True Finance’s core financial tools and features.
"A lot of the features are meant to elevate the customer themselves, not just service them in the moment. For our users – whether they’re a single parent, a college student, or someone struggling paycheck to paycheck – gaming rewards go hand in hand with our core cash advance product. It gelled together very well and provides another way for users to engage while we help them with real financial needs."
– Tim Yelchaninov, Co-Founder, CEO True Finance
💡 Takeaway: Meeting users between high-intent tasks is emerging as a powerful new lever for loyalty.
While a meaningful value exchange will look different for every app, the core elements required are clarity, accessibility, and rewards that feel both earned and impactful to the user. Apps that avoid complexity and clearly communicate the benefit of each action build stronger loyalty.
For True Finance, transparency means showing the users the exact dollar amount they can earn, making the reward feel more tangible and valuable.
"We wanted to show users the dollar amount they could earn rather than abstract points or coins. That clarity makes it appealing, lets them see real value, and ensures that repeated engagement feels rewarding while supporting our core product."
– Tim Yelchaninov, Co-Founder, CEO True Finance
ShopBack takes a similarly intentional approach, structuring their gaming rewards in a way that minimizes friction while maintaining a sense of achievement.
"In ShopBack Play we make rewards feel earned with different zones, tasks, and challenges. You can see the minimum and maximum you can earn, and what you need to do. From a consumer standpoint, it’s super easy: register, click the interaction, download the Shopback Play app, and your cashback is tracked and awarded.”
– Carolina Paradas, US GM, ShopBack
💡 Takeaway: By keeping rewards clear and accessible, apps not only encourage repeated engagement but also build user trust, creating a sustainable value exchange that benefits both sides.
Gaming isn’t just entertainment, it’s quickly becoming a core driver of engagement and loyalty across apps. For both Shopping and Finance apps, gameplay can turn casual moments into meaningful interactions that extend beyond your app's core product.
Carrie Paradas shared how ShopBack uses gaming to expand its relationship with users beyond shopping and offer them more ways to earn.
"Gaming offers are a complement to what we're doing in other types of offers. Users don’t need to spend money to earn cashback, and it brings them back into the app more often. It’s another way to engage users while they’re already interacting with our platform for shopping or travel."
– Carolina Paradas, US GM, ShopBack
And for True Finance, adding gaming rewards naturally aligns with existing user habits, providing value while supporting core app features like cash advances.
"People are already playing games daily. By tying rewards to that behavior, we provide entertainment, real value, and more touch points for engagement, which naturally supports retention and keeps users interacting with our app."
– Tim Yelchaninov, Co-Founder, CEO True Finance
💡 Takeaway: Gaming offers a bridge between fun and utility, creating repeated touchpoints that foster engagement, strengthen loyalty, and ultimately amplify lifetime value for both users and apps.
These three insights only scratch the surface of what our experts shared, and the full Rewarding every step on-demand webinar showcases how gaming and rewards are reshaping engagement strategies across shopping and finance apps.
If you want to explore how gaming offers can make a difference in your app, check out Mistplay’s LoyaltyPlay solution and contact us today.
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