Why is just having a mobile channel not good enough?
It has been ages since it was known that mobile phones are taking over the world communications network. The internet just empowered them even more. Now smartphones have an impact like no other before them, and are already shaping the world. There are some statistics that are the key pillars to the fact that going mobile is a must, especially in the iGaming industry. The first one is the fact that by 2017, 5 billion people are going to use mobile phones.This is an unbelievable fact by itself, but when you add the fact that in 2016, 73% of the population in North America are Smartphone users, a number as high as 71.2% in Western, and 64.8% in Eastern Europe. 53.9% in Latin America, 38.6 in Asia, and 29.2% in the middle east and Africa.
In addition to that, of the population of the targeted age (18-44 year olds) 65% are smartphone users worldwide, a percentage that goes over 80% in most western countries as well as 40% in most developing countries. The numbers will grow massively over the next few years, since currently the largest proportion of Smartphone users is in the age group of 16-18 year olds.
How is this to be taken advantage of? Well realizing that more than half of your players are capable of connecting to your brand all of the time is a powerful thing. Most importantly, realizing that your players can reach you when they feel energized to make bets and play is even more powerful. Reaching players while they are commuting, or just going through their smartphone looking for opportunities for having fun and making some money is an opportunity by itself.
So why isn’t just adding a mobile application to your iGaming services good enough? Well think about it, look at any popular app out there that requires interaction with the players or them interacting with each other. What have they got in common? Well, all of them offer the same service on any platform they are used on. You can basically use them simultaneously, and both the front-end and back-end of the service are interconnected to all of your devices. When it comes to iGaming for instance, in most cases retail operations are multichannel. Different independent channels totally disconnected between each other, with no player tracking whatsoever. With a Multi-channel solution retailers are just giving to their clients a different channel on which they can place a bet but not a modern gaming experience. Having a mobile channel or application in this modern day of age is key yes, but having a separate mobile app is just not good enough if you are in it for long term success. Players are supposed to be able to switch between gaming channels seamlessly. They are supposed to be able to shut down their PC, and continue the same bet on their smartphone before the desktop has turned off.
This is where the Omnichannel solution comes handy. An Omnichannel solution which will be discussed in our following blog posts in depth, is a solution that integrates all the iGaming channels together.
The future of Retail is the Omnichannel approach. An Omnichannel approach puts the players at the center regardless of which channel they will use. In an Omnichannel environment the platform is able to track the player on all the channels, to provide the operator with cross channel data analysis tools on which the operator will be able to improve its retention strategies and cross channel services providing the players a far better experience.
Most importantly it integrates the front-end and the back-end, making it both convenient for the player to use and easy for the services provider to manage. An Omnichannel solution can allow Retailers to move from a passive offer to a symbiotic service where the player enjoy an advanced gaming experience and the operator acquire real time cross channel information that allow him to analyze the player activity and improve the service, the promotions, the retention and new acquisitions. Follow our blog, and find out why Omnichannel is the only logical and smart way to go, when you go mobile.