Egaming industry predictions for 2016 - part 7
In the seventh of a series of articles, eGR asks industry experts to predict the big themes for 2016
Robert Pender, consultant
1) Retention and satisfaction – I anticipate increases in marketing spend and a greater allocation of resources to focus on overhauling existing customer databases. The rewriting of engagement approaches and every process that follows from initial registration thereafter is an essential initiative for operators. The experience and journey need to be more frequently revisited with regular iterations. Increasing loyalty and customer satisfaction must be at the heart of operators’ key decision-making processes.
2) Geo-Location – I expect real-time geo-targeting to figure significantly in the coming year, and adopted by all, not just operators with omni-channel considerations. Such opportunities stretch further afield than retail alone. The device-obsessed consumer of today presents the gambling sector with some fascinating opportunities for the canny marketers that can produce enticing live, responsive and engaging content.
3) Personalisation – In order to fully capitalise on geo technology, content cannot be generic. Relevancy is key, and location-based marketing won’t meet its full potential and resonate unless it is truly personalised. The crux of the personalisation challenge lies in the ability and desire to intimately understand and profile users. Whilst personalisation will of course evolve in 2016, I expect advances to be incremental. Achieving the granular understanding of the user will be beyond the reach of most within 12 months and will not be overcome in the manner necessary for operators to truly enjoy the all-round business benefits.
Harry Lang, marketing director, Pinnacle Sports
1) Consolidation – Now the Betty Power, GVC-bwin.party and Ladbrokes-Gala Coral deals are seemingly going through, the likes of 888 and William Hill might be feeling like they’re wallflowers at the last dance of a party. They’ll probably want to be partnered up with someone and heading for the copy room or they’ll be left to stare mournfully at the glitter ball, wondering what might have been. Whatever you make of the cost saving motives behind the mergers (and lack of differentiation therein) there will likely be more of the same to come in 2016.
2) Data modelling – From programmatic media buying to attribution modelling, the marketing success stories from the coming year will be more about using tiny fragments of collated data to optimise spends rather than spooning millions of pounds into hokey ad campaigns. The big brands need to maintain front of mind visibility, for sure, but at the end of 2016 the real heroes delivering commercial success are likely to come from the business intelligence department.
3) Mobile – It looks like most operators are now taking more than 50% of their revenues on mobile devices, so after seven years of saying “mobile is the future” the industry now needs to think of a new buzz phrase. It might be “eSports betting” (nothing else is doubling revenue year-on-year) or it could easily be “dynamic in-play”. And if the stars align, consolidated European regulation still has a warm, fantastical (yet fairly unlikely) ring to it.