A Multi-Theoretical Approach of Unveiling the Factors Influencing Donation Intention on CRM-Embedded Social Gaming Apps: Unifying Self-Determination, Heuristics and Identity Theories

Gaming companies are seeking to increase gamers’ commitment to their image through deeper philanthropic involvement. This could be attained through the implementation of cause-related marketing (CRM) strategies, whereby gamers have the alternative option of either purchasing something within the game that will promote a specific cause or donating the money received as a prize to charity. The online social gaming market has experienced tremendous growth across Asia-Pacific countries, offering users a variety of mainstream social games, such as Poker, Candy Crush, Ludo King, Clash of Clans, and Rummy. Although CRM is socially desirable and has great promise when paired with social gaming platforms, few studies examine gamers’ donation intentions and the factors that influence their use of CRM-embedded social gaming platforms. Although prior studies have applied heuristics, self-determination theory, and identity theory, they have yet to sufficiently explain the predictive role of these frameworks in shaping charitable donation intentions within CRM-embedded social gaming applications. This study investigates whether integrating CRM into social gaming environments enhances players’ intentions to donate. This study also attempts to theoretically and empirically determine whether a set of heuristics, self-determination, and identity elements influences donation intention in the context of social gaming mobile apps. The final results of the research, based on the analysis of 853 data samples using a hybrid SEM-ANN technique, supported an integrated model that includes elements of heuristics, self-determination, and identity to predict donation intention among CRM-based digital social gaming platforms. Finally, the results revealed that “social identity” is one of the stronger determinants of donor intention, followed closely by self-identity, relatedness, narrative structures, self-referencing, competence, autonomy, and perceived aesthetics. This research will enhance the theoretical and practical implications for marketers, fundraisers, and CRM campaign strategists in nonprofit organizations and social gaming organizations regarding the development of a charity-based online gaming platform capable of soliciting CRM-based donations from players.