more rewarding betting experience for our customers. Terefore free to play games is something that we have concentrated on through the creation of Fives and our daily free game in casino too.
Tis strategy has enabled us to improve retention rates and in turn better player values through using the site more often. Tis has been very important when you look at how competitive the acquisition market has become.
Mobile also remains the most important channel within the industry with more customers using their devices to bet. New apps and features that improve UX and improve the enjoyment of the action increase the time customers spend on our site.
Why do a lot of the leading sportsbook landing pages look like they did 20 years ago? How are operators differentiating their products through gamification and a more engaging UX experience?
It’s a very good question and one that regularly reverberates around the office. Should it provide the base for a customer to easily be able to get to the sport it wants, should it automatically show the prices of the biggest events of the day, or should it show the biggest events live now?
All are valid points of view and one where there is not a definitive correct answer. A lot of landing pages are obviously extremely successful and any change could bring massive uplift but also has the potential to jeopardise everything the operators have spent years building up.
I think one of the biggest innovations is how we display all the data that we receive and how to give the best UX to our customers to ensure they feel part of the action, even when they are not watching live. Te improvement in scoreboards and then how we visualise a game has meant the customers spend much more time on site with us then they did before.
What verticals are going to prove key to success for operators going forward?
In terms of our success, it is important to concentrate on making our sportsbook the focus and continue to concentrate on making the changes that the customers require to keep us challenging at the very top, then to use it as a gateway to access all our other verticals on site and enjoy the full extent of the suite we offer.
Within sportsbook we have focussed on horse racing and you will have seen our sponsorship throughout the UK including the Ayr Gold Cup. Our product has been developed for both the hardcore racing fans and for those who simply enjoy a bet on the big races with us. Te breadth of our offering is now pretty much 24/7 with fans being able to bet and watch racing from all over the world with us.
One of our Virgin Bet brand pillars is to create a
However, nothing beats being able to watch the game and we have invested strongly into our offering. We are giving our customers access to games unavailable on their terrestrial TV and often outside of normal football hours with games going on 24/7. Tis move has seen us as a destination to consume sports as well as provide a best in class betting product.
We also feel like we are on the forefront of gamification too and one of our biggest successes has been Virgin Bet Fives. A free to play game where you get given a player each day you log on and should your player score over the next set of fixtures, you will receive a cash payment. Tis is only the start and we are looking to add more gamification elements to make our offering even more engaging.
How should operators be exploring the behavioural patterns of bettors as they interact with product offerings to find new ways of engagement?
I think it is crucial to always keep an eye on behavioural patterns in any industry and
I think one of the biggest
innovations is how we display all the data that we receive
and how to give the best UX to our customers to ensure they feel part of the action, even when they are not watching live. The improvement in
scoreboards and then how we visualise a game has meant the customers spend much
more time on site with us then they did before. However, nothing beats being able to
watch the game and we have invested strongly into our offering.
gaming is no different. Understanding how to improve all the key KPI’s is something that we strive for every day. Whether we are considering what to develop next or what we should be showing to our customers on site, improving these core metrics is at the heart of those decisions.
Once released and on site, we also conduct further analysis on what else has changed that we might not have anticipated. All behaviours are looked at, from pure transactional ones to frequency of visits and how long customers engage with us.
To quickly talk Fives, we are very proud that this has successfully changed the way customers use our product. We have seen the number of days visited has increased and with the number of customers playing at a record high, it is showing a decent amount of cut through.
Quick market talk to round off. What are sportsbooks doing to prepare for the UK's impending gambling reform?
It’s something that we are very aware of, but it’s also very difficult to really prepare for. As a business we are focussed on adhering to all current rules and are 100 per cent confident of being agile enough to deal with any new rulings that come out.
What has been the impact of the strict measures that have been imposed in Germany limiting in-play, banning live streaming, and introducing mandatory switching delays?
As we don’t currently operate in Germany it is something that hasn’t dramatically impacted us as a business. We do always look at new territories and new regulations that come in to play which influence the current landscape.
Personally, I feel like the measures are a step too far and I am sure we will see that in the figures going forward.
WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS P119
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