The landscape for retail operations has dramatically shifted over the past 12 months. The word ‘Omnichannel’ has become synonymous with the digital transformation trend, which continues as a revolution for the gaming industry.
The rules of the game are changing
The digital revolution is no longer a trend, it has created a new world that is here to stay. Those who chose to embrace it and transform their operations accordingly are set to disrupt the future landscape of gaming, leaving those who don’t behind.
Players’ expectations and playing habits are changing, ease of use and a multichannel offering are more important today than ever before. Ultimately it is the player and not the operator who gets to decide which method of communication and play they will use the most.
What is an Omnichannel experience?
An omnichannel strategy allows the operator to provide their players with a fully integrated and seamless player experience while moving between their retail operation, online site and entertainment venues. Ultimately, an omnichannel solution provides players with the choice, ease of use, a seamless user experience and the journey that they crave.
What are the key benefits of an Omnichannel solution?
Below is a list of just a few of the benefits of a true Omnichannel strategy
1 . Drive Brand visibility
An Omnichannel solution helps the operators to deliver your brand and brand’s message across all channels, wherever it is most convenient to the player, whether it be at your retail operation, or your digital site via mobile or desktop. The Omni experience presents one seamless customer journey featuring a consistent brand look and feel across all channels so that your players feel familiar with your brand wherever they are playing.
The main point in providing an omnichannel experience is to ensure that the players’ playing experience is enhanced and part of that enhancement is feeling the same level of familiarity regardless of where they are playing. Presenting a digital offering to your players further enhances and promotes your brand, increasing visibility and in turn, increasing player loyalty.
2. Real-time customer data
A true omnichannel solution should feature real-time data capabilities, which will allow you to be proactive in your approach enabling you to access, collect and present detailed data across both operations (retail and online). For example, you will be able to gain a full 360-degree view of every customer that engages with your brand. It will enable you to identify your players’ spending and playing patterns allowing you to pinpoint high-value players and create better marketing campaigns tailored to their behaviour. An Omnichannel solution will also allow you to gain access to responsible gaming data and information about your players across both your retail and digital sites so that you can identify high risk and vulnerable players and intervene immediately with real-time actions to prevent events such as self-exclusions and fraud.
3. Improved customer segmentation and campaign targeting
An Omnichannel solution presents you with the opportunity to gain access to a better collection of important data insights about your players, giving you a deeper understanding of your customer base. This enables you to segment your customers on a more granular level based on their playing and spending behaviour allowing you to tailor your campaigns and promotional material and offer a personalised journey. For example, if a player has recently been playing a new slot game online consistently it will allow you to target them with promotions based around that specific game either for the online site or for the land-based casino, while they are in the of playing this particular game.
Likewise, a player playing at your retail operation might also have previously taken part in specific entertainment options such as a round of golf at your brand’s golf course. Real-time data insights will provide you insights that show this kind of activity, allowing you to offer a full cross-sell loyalty campaign, which is specifically tailored to these players’ playing habits and entertainment interests combined. In this particular player’s case, you might want to offer that player a promotion on a new ‘golf themed’ online game with the chance to win a round of golf on their next visit to your retail operation. Another example of a cross-channel marketing promotion could be for example for those land-based operators who feature a branded petrol station on site. Here, you might want to offer fuel at a discounted price to all of your digital players if they visit your retail operation within a certain timeframe. The opportunities are endless.
4. Increase customer retention
Implementing an omnichannel approach allows you to offer your players the choice of playing at a time and in a way that is most convenient for them. Key Omnichannel features such as a shared wallet feature allow you to give power to your players by enabling them to transfer funds between your retail site and digital offering seamlessly. This not only provides a secure way to transfer funds from one site to another, but it also provides a fast, hassle-free payment method to your players. While features such as dual registration result in a faster player onboarding experience, which helps to create a lasting first impression and improves the player experience and engagement patterns through increased touchpoints. Offering a shared wallet feature will provide you with detailed player spending insights in real-time, which will enable you to improve and tailor your marketing campaigns, helping to increase customer loyalty and retention.
5. Increases customer satisfaction
In presenting players with the choice of where they play, how they play and when they play, combined with personalised loyalty, marketing promotions and real-time support, you are set to create a happier, more satisfied customer base, which helps significantly in terms of loyalty. At GiG, our iGaming Platform Omnichannel data shows that 10% of registered land-based players deposit online and that these players deposit 80% more and have a 35% longer playtime than digital registered players.
The GiG Omni approach
At GiG, we work closely with our partners to ensure that their digital transformation is a smooth process that offers players a tailored and seamless customer journey.
To find out how we can help you make your transition to online successful, contact [email protected]
Rhea Craib, Group Marketing Manager
