Preview ICT TOTALLY GAMING 2016
Should We Stop Talking and Thinking About Channels?
OpenBet’s Head of Marketing, Olivia Gillibrand, explained at ICE 2016 why product is at the heart of any strong omni-channel offering
Once again omni-channel was a buzzword at this year’s ICE.
But the question of how to push forward the area and provide a better experience across all channels is now the focus for us at OpenBet.
We understand that product must be at the heart of any truly omni-channel solution. It is not enough to talk about abstract concepts which involve linking online with retail. Tere needs to be an engaging offer to back it up.
Omni comes from ‘omnis’ meaning ‘all’ and if we are truly talking omni-channel we need to assume it means all channels as a matter of course. UNIFY provides the link between the channels, so if we assume we mean all channels, its now time to start really talking about products. It is the products that the player engages with, not the channel.
With Cheltenham and the National fast approaching, we put horse racing at the forefront at ICE. A bet on the National is many punter’s primary interaction with a bookmaker each year, so we have to make sure that experience is a flawless one, regardless of where it takes place. It is vital our omni-channel offering delivers increased customer satisfaction.
At last year’s Cheltenham Festival, a record 63% of bets were placed via mobile devices. Tat number will likely rise again this year, so it is important to offer customers engaging products solutions which allow them to participate via whichever channel they prefer to bet and play. It is also important to remind ourselves at this point that omni-channel doesn’t mean one size fits all, it is about the right product for the right person at the right time.
At ICE we launched an in-venue companion app, which mirrors the popular “click and collect” principle, which has proved so popular and enduring in the retail sector.
Te app means that for the first time betslips can be compiled and saved on a mobile device and then scanned at the till, allowing in-venue cash players to enjoy the convenience and benefits of an online account but allowing them to pay in cash or at a venue they know and trust.
We have already built a comprehensive omni- P76 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE /
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channel infrastructure upon which new products such as this can sit. In this case, the app will link up with our UNIFY solution which lets players pay for their bet using their online account.
Te days of channel-specific development are numbered, and it would not surprise me to see the most successful products of the future built from the bottom up with omni-channel in mind.
And it is not just all about devices, this year we are seeing a revised focus on in-venue. Operators with large estates are always looking for ways to extract more value from their complete offering. Tere are plenty of ways online can breathe new life into retail.
Rio Ferdinand helps launch Stakelogic’s Football Gladiators
Stakelogic, the 3D slot development studio of Novomatic’s iGaming division Greentube, drew in the crowds at ICE with the launch of Football Gladiators, a game starring former Manchester United footballer Rio Ferdinand, who was on hand to oversee its launch
Launched simultaneously for desktop, mobile and land-based, Football Gladiators is a 3D, animated 25-line, 5×3 reel video slot that combines the ancient sport of gladiator fighting with modern football that allows players to chose their favourite footballers to fight against beasts in the Colosseum, race against Te Dark Knight on the chariot race track, plus much more in this new game.
Starring alongside Rio Ferdinand, pumped up and in gladiator gear, were Dutch footballer Robin van Persie, Germany’s Toni Kroos and Italian soccer star, Pirlo.
“Te number of visitors and the huge positive response exceeded our expectations by far,” said StakeLogic CEO Ruben Visse. “Tis will
StakeLogic’s Liene Alberinga and Ruben Visse launching Gladiator Football
form the basis for the further growth of our organization and gives a boost to the creativity and innovation in our team.
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“Obviously Football Gladiators generated the most attention but we are also launching another 16 games, some using our core 3D technology but others using our revolutionary Slots 360° technology and advanced MOBi mobile gaming platform, which help us to differentiate the games from the competition,” said Mr. Visse.
Retail cash-out, which launched in the second half on 2015 with Coral, has proven to be a great success. Promote, our in-venue content management solution, will come into its own during the Euros providing an almost cinematic in-venue experience for customers to enjoy the beautiful game – perfect for driving footfall and increasing time spent in store.
For OpenBet, the consumer is at the heart of our product development with a focus on player understanding and engagement designed to deliver our omni-channel vision. For us it is not just a buzzword or ICE campaign but central to our strategy for growth.
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