Date:
Author: Farhan Mutaqin, PhD Researcher (expected graduation year: 2028), University of Edinburgh
Original article: https://theconversation.com/spotify-wrapped-success-story-unpacked-what-are-the-takeaways-251337
Around year-end, users eagerly anticipate their Spotify Wrapped to learn about their listening habits over the past year. Wrapped summarises favourite artists, most-played songs, and other highlights. Many users share their Wrapped results on social media to showcase their playlist for the year.
Spotify, a subscription-based audio streaming platform, offers its users access to an extensive library of music, podcasts, and other media content.
Founded in 2006 by Swedish entrepreneurs Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, the Stockholm-based platform has become a global entity with offices in numerous countries. As of mid-2024, Spotify boasts 626 million active users worldwide.
One of Spotify’s iconic features is Wrapped, introduced in 2016. Since then, sharing Spotify Wrapped to social media has become an annual tradition for users as a point of pride, creating a viral wave in the digital world.
Launched globally on December 1, 2020, Spotify Wrapped triggered a significant surge in app downloads during the first week of that month – up by 21%. This increase is assumed to be closely tied to the global launch of the feature.
But is this surge solely due to this momentum?
Wrapped: Delivering personal and universal experiences
Wrapped spotlights Spotify’s advanced user behaviour statistics and drives consumers into unintentional platform boosters. When consumers share their Wrapped on social media, they unwittingly become brand advocates, promoting the platform to others.
The personalisation, social proof, and gamification embedded in Spotify Wrapped transform it from merely an individual report into a globally celebrated cultural event. The campaign’s intelligent design encourages users to share their data summaries online, creating massive organic promotion.
In addition to its viral nature, Wrapped influences users’ future listening habits. Showcasing users’ favourite genres and artists annually motivates them to explore their musical preferences and discover dynamic new tracks.
Lessons from Wrapped
Boasting its considerable impact, Wrapped’s formula has spread to gaming platforms, including Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, and Steam, as of 2024. Three key takeaways from Spotify’s success:
1. Personalisation: Wrapped provides a summary of user habits, reflecting their moods, experiences, and interests during the year, delivering an intimate experience.
2. Social Connectivity: Wrapped challenges people to post stuff on social media. Aside from boasting, this practice allows people to compare their musical interests, establishing a sense of belonging and community. This social aspect improves user satisfaction and strengthens their self-perception.
3. Nostalgia: Wrapped taps into individuals’ nostalgia by bringing back memories through their favorite songs and artists. Like old photos evoking cherished memories, music can stimulate positive emotions and strengthen personal identity.
Challenges in replicating Wrapped’s success
While Wrapped thrives on Spotify, replicating such an approach on other platforms may prove difficult, particularly for shopping or transportation apps. Data summaries from transportation apps like Gojek that track daily destinations or favourite meals might be deemed overly personal and clash with privacy concerns – a sensitive topic nowadays.
This relates to the privacy paradox, where users are wary about their personal data security but continue sharing it if it doesn’t include highly sensitive information like profession, personal traits, or financial details. In Spotify’s case, users feel safe because the data shared doesn’t fall into such categories.
Moreover, adopting a similar concept on other platforms may not yield users the same satisfaction with Spotify Wrapped. The strategy could even backfire.
For example, suppose transportation or online shopping platforms were to present users with a summary of their spending over a year instead of encouraging consumption. In that case, users might be prompted to save money after realising the extent of their expenditures.
A study has proven that when people are aware of how much money they spend and consider its implications for the future, they are more likely to save.
Another research also indicates that consistently tracking expenses leads to better financial outcomes. For instance, individuals may reduce unnecessary purchases, adhere more strictly to budgets, and manage their money more effectively.
These three aspects set Spotify apart from other popular platforms. On Spotify, users share Wrapped because it is perceived as enjoyable and positive. In contrast, applying similar strategies on different platforms could potentially reduce consumption.
Adapting Wrapped features for consumer platforms
Although challenging, the concept of Wrapped can still be adapted to other platforms with some adjustments.
For instance, on ride-hailing platforms, many positive aspects unrelated to spending can still be appealing for social media sharing. For example, a summary shows reduced carbon footprint because users opted for public transportation or electric vehicles.
Additionally, platforms could share summaries about unique cities explored through online transportation or highlight users’ favourite foods and beverages ordered throughout the year.
For e-commerce platforms, the content that could be showcased includes categories of products most frequently purchased by users, their favourite brands, or the number of couriers involved in their deliveries.
By sharing such content on social media, users can provide recommendations and share engaging, positive experiences without having to disclose their spending amounts.
However, for this to succeed, such features must be well-designed. Shared content should be consistent, for instance, released periodically, such as once a year.
Also, use narratives relevant to the audience’s experiences, leverage current trends in visual illustrations, and ensure that the content is based on accurate data and facts. These factors have proven crucial to enhancing credibility and user appeal.
This article was originally published in Indonesia, translated into English with the help of machine translation, and further edited by human editors.