⚙️ — A Game Theory point of Equilibrium : Buy-by-Gambling

Expressed in 2018

A concept to create a benefice win-win situation between end user (consumer, or buyer), and selling industries through a gamification of ad consumption and online lottery games with positive effects on inflation.

➠ Simple concept

The "Buy-by-Gambling" aims at resolving a complex Game Theory issue between consumer interests, online selling platform interests, ad industries interests and global fight against inflation — with a soft and subtle solution (see Nash Equilibrium) : a solution for online platform meant to gamify ad targeting to propose discounts to the consumer.

Simply, consumers could choose to view targeted ad just before the payment window that would fund a hazard game (lottery-like between pooled users) to gives winning consumer discounts (on App or outside).

➠ Multiparty gains

• For selling platform : to get engagement and fidelize consumers.

• For targeting ad industries : to diversify ad targeting and revenues.

• For consumers : to get direct discount through gamification.

➠ Process

1. Just before the payment page, the consumer can choose (with consent) to play to a lottery ad game to get discounts viewing ad.

2. If the consumer agree doing so, an ad must be viewed. Technically, a part of the generated revenues get rooted to a pool between all the user participating.

3. The algorithm randomly pick a winner, or several winners between all the participating user. The pool of ad viewer is modulable and dynamic depending on the number of participating users. Technically, for time-synchronization and pool-termination waiting from consumer-side, ad length can be used.

4. Gain is distributed (on App discounts, shipping reduction, etc.).

5. A new pool is created.

➠ Estimate for Amazon with 2018 data (outdated) 

• Amazon with 30 Millions monthly users, so roughly 11 buying users per seconds 

• 2018 mean of Youtube's eCPM : the effective cost per thousand impressions  was about 7,60$ for 1 000 digital ad prints.

• That we suppose that 60 % of ad revenues are redistributed (conjointly with the platform)

We get approximately 64 K $ generated by month on Amazon, or 765 K $ yearly.

Approximately 5.50 $ could be redistributed in discounts every 2 minutes between all participating users in the pool (for 1 210 playing consumers), or 11 $ every 5 minutes (for 2 415 playing consumers). So roughly 6 persons winning a 1 $ discount every 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Note : this data is really outdated, with current data, estimates could a way lot higher.

➠ Extrapolating this concept to fight inflation

This concept could be used globally and managed by a NGO or the IMF (or non-lucrative organizations), to reduce global inflation at an individual scale without impacting users' consumption habits.

If it isn't a classic inflation remediation it nonetheless could be really useful, see below :

For example, in January 2023, the French SMIC (or monthly minimal salary) have been revalued by 1.81 % from ~ 1 330 € to ~ 1 353 € so approximately 23 € of gains (to fight inflation).

With this idea, a consumer spending roughly the same amount online monthly could concretely see the positive effects of inflation-fighting through his personal spending. Indeed, if he can win up to 5 € monthly through this process — if he roughly spend the same amount monthly — this could have an impact up to ~ 20 % of the new inflated SMIC's value — or reduce consumer inflation by ~ 20 %) :

5 / 23 = 21,7 %