Egaming industry predictions for 2017 - part 5

Simon Collins, founder, Gaming Realms

Continued mobile penetration – Mobile gaming focused offerings such as Casumo, LeoVegas and Gaming Realms will gain more market share in 2017. We are past the mobile tipping point where mobile devices are outstripping desktop regarding internet usage. It is no longer a case of asking whether mobile marketing and access is important, we know it is. Operators with more than 80% of their usage via mobile are at an inherent advantage moving forward.

Video content – Video will become an even more essential part of the marketing mix. The music industry has known what video does for acts for decades (the birth of MTV) and video creates a very high impact. Take a look at PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen) released in 2016 – it is the shortest song to chart on Billboard in history (45 seconds). This music video shows us why video ads on mediums such as Facebook and other social networks can be so compelling.

Internal group chat – Collaborative tools such as Hip Chat and Slack will receive further adoption by gaming companies. Team communication tools like Slack – founded by Stewart Butterfield – began as an internal tool used by Stewart’s company while developing a now defunct online game.

Dorothy Creaven, CEO, Element Wave

Big data – In recent years there has been a surge towards data gathering and analytics which is of course a positive development. However, in many cases where large investments and efforts have been dedicated to data gathering, there has often been a lack of clarity in terms of how to produce actionable insights from this ‘big data’. Mobile has opened up the world of user-level data. In 2017, success will be awarded to those who harness data to produce real-time data-driven experiences. Mobile players are highly demanding; only brands who can personalise and serve their users with the most relevant content will dominate. The egaming industry must look to data for smarter recommendations for players across sportsbook, casino, bingo and social gaming. Automation is catching up to scale one-to-one interactions with players based on their app behaviours, odds or stake preferences and drop-off points. Players can expect a far more imaginative and focused experience while brands will see greater return on investment.

Real-time data & in-play marketing – Mobile lends itself to the exhilarating nature of live sport. Real-time reactions will be key for mobile egaming trends in 2017. Real-time processing matches users with proposed markets, odds or events based on their needs. Marketers will be able to relate to players with changing markets and live trends. We’ve seen dramatic results with half-time messaging targeted at pre-match bettors during domestic leagues. We have also seen that a single half-time push on domestic markets can increase mobile in-play bets by 5X to 15X. That is just the tip of the iceberg. The opportunity around real-time data driven marketing is a game-changer for sports betting operators; real-time processing allows you to track and personalise to individual players based on live contextual events. In-play is a significant revenue generator, but few brands are exploiting the power of it. Utilising mobile messaging to deliver in-play excitement based on real-time events enhances the experience on offer leading to better returns.

Machine learning – 2017 will be the year when machine learning creates a ripple effect on mobile. Analysing data, identifying and predicting betting patterns will yield huge power for egaming companies. Machine learning will deliver one-to-one, individualised betting journeys where players will be matched with the bets they are most interested in, and at the time when they are most receptive to it. Early adopters will form close partnerships with dedicated data-driven technology providers and will see dramatic improvements in player loyalty and lifetime value while operators that continue to fight the battle with legacy technology will get left behind.