As sporting events across the world are suspended, sports betting is increasingly off the table, unless – as YouGov’s Charlie Dundas puts it – “you fancy getting up to speed on the Russian hockey league pretty quickly.”
However, as operators pivot to promote casino and bingo, some are finding they’re acquiring more players as people look for entertainment while cooped up at home.
Retaining these new players is absolutely key, especially considering cost per acquisition seems to be forever increasing. Here we lay out 4 player retention recommendations for the highly unusual times in which we find ourselves.
1 – Strike The Right Tone
The majority of us are currently being told to stay at home, which itself brings psychosocial challenges. Research has shown that in such conditions ‘microstimuli’ (the small things) can become macro pretty quickly. Combined with heightened emotions and concerns caused by the virus, with many in a more vulnerable state of mind than usual, it is absolutely imperative to strike the right tone. Companies taking exploitative approaches are being publicly shamed, and rightfully so. Now is the time to focus on building lasting relationships with players – not just on the quick wins. This leads to point number 2…
2 – Play The Long Game
The brands that will make it through this – and even increase their player numbers – are going to be those that entertain and care for their consumers. They will be the ones there when people need some escapism, offering fun whilst not necessarily expecting everyone to spend.
In 3radical’s Gaming Industry Report, Tom Ustunel, Product Partnership Director at News UK said, “I’d much rather have 10 customers playing at £10 each, than one customer playing at £100.” That philosophy is more important than ever. It’s not only important ethically but from a business perspective too. A race to the bottom benefits no one.
Many modern brands and operators say that delivering socially responsible gaming is at the heart of their strategies; now is the time to prove that is true.
3 – Personalise
Retaining players requires building long-term relationships and offering a two-way exchange of value. To do this effectively, operators need to have a 360 degree view of their customers. They must understand and track player behaviour to build a complete picture. Collecting attitudinal data helps target at the right times and with the right promotions. It also helps cross-sales, encouraging customers to stay in-brand but trying out different games and betting options.
True personalisation goes way beyond simply adding a name. Getting the right content to the right people (the right players and right segments) is imperative.
4 – Fix Time
“Time is slippery in isolation. The more you can fix it, the better,” says Kate Greene, a crew member on the first simulated Mars mission, which saw six people isolated together for four months. Greene says that right now, in our collective, scattered isolations brought on by the arrival of Covid-19, we aren’t lucky enough to know how long we’ll be in this situation, so marking the time and having things to look forward to are really important.
For operators, this provides the opportunity to add some structure by building to certain times and occasions. This could be daily but also longer term. By anticipating and building towards calendar events such as Easter for example, games can help people celebrate important milestones that could otherwise be pretty difficult to celebrate right now.
Conclusion
Above all, this is the time to provide entertainment and build relationships that increase (safe) time on site and improve player loyalty.
A personalised approach can help with entertainment and alleviate boredom, helping gaming be a part of the players’ life, in a responsible way. By keeping players in brand, regardless of whether they’ve got cash to spend or not at the moment, wallet share can be maintained. There are a lot of entertainment choices out there, but if real relationships are formed now, then when it’s business as usual, both brand and players will benefit!
Are you ready to learn more about the 3radical QuickStart-Retention package?