The Goal-Gradient Hypothesis Resurrected: Purchase Acceleration, Illusionary Goal Progress, and Customer Retention

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Gamification and Mobile Marketing Effectiveness (2016, positive): “It would also be of interest to assess whether the so-called goal gradient hypothesis (Kivetz, Urminsky, and Zheng 2006) applies in the context of mobile gamification.”
Review of the theoretical underpinnings of loyalty programs (2011, background): “Kivetz et al., 2006 Café patrons, Internet users Goal-gradient effect, persistence, loyalty program reengagement Consumers accelerate effort, persistence, and behavior frequency when approaching a loyalty reward.”
Focusing on Desirability: The Effect of Decision Interruption and Suspension on Preferences (2008, background): “Relatedly, recent consumer research shows that framing a task, such as earning a number of frequency reward points for a final prize, as work in progress increases consumers’ motivation to earn those rewards (Kivetz, Urminsky, and Zheng 2006; Nunes and Drèze 2006).”
For the Fun of It: Harnessing Immediate Rewards to Increase Persistence in Long-Term Goals (2016, positive): “In addition , beyond attention to rewards, mere attention to the goal's end state increases motivation by focusing people on the discrepancy between their current state and the end state (Carver and Scheier 1998; Higgins 1987; Kivetz, Urminsky, and Zheng 2006; Locke and Latham 1990).”