UK mobile trends under the spotlight in eGR webinar
Findings suggest mobile pain points as leading independent survey sheds light on challenges facing operators in the UK market
Mobile is still not meeting some customer expectations and entertainment and omni-channel are critical battleground for operators looking for an edge in the hyper-competitive UK market, an eGaming Review webinar revealed yesterday.
The webinar was based upon research conducted in association with OpenBet, and is arguably the leading independent survey into consumer preferences and trends in the UK.
Among the key conclusions were that free bets and bonuses remains the most powerful acquisition tool available to operators, although the research found entertainment value was growing in importance to players.
The survey found that poor site quality and customer service are the two factors most likely to persuade a player to switch sites and it concluded that while mobile has changed the online landscape, operators’ offerings on the channel are still falling short of some players’ expectations.
The webinar, in association with OpenBet, was hosted by eGR‘s head of content Alun Bowden and outlined ten key insights into online gambling player behaviour from a piece of in-depth market research, before a lively Q&A session with Sky Betting and Gaming CEO Richard Flint and OpenBet CEO Jeremy Thompson-Hill.
The two CEOs fielded questions from listeners as eGR presented a series of insights into UK online player behaviour yesterday as it unveiled some highlights of a key piece of research set to be released later this year.
Flint said that much of the research matched Sky Betting’s own internal findings.
“The emphasis of free bets and bonuses and particularly the emphasis on simplicity is something that has come through very strongly in our own research,” Flint said.
“On mobile we were more surprised by those findings. The vast majority of our sports bets are on mobile, although gaming is more fifty-fifty. I personally think the mobile experience for sports betting is very easy,” he added.
Thompson-Hill said OpenBet’s products look to address several of the findings from the research, adding that factors like entertainment are becoming increasingly important.
“We are finding products can generate consistent use throughout an event, for example with in-running betting or cash-out,” Thompson-Hill said.
“These engage the player throughout the entertainment experience. It isn’t a case of you place your bet and disappear,” he added.
You can listen to the webinar, including an outline of the ten key insights and the views of Flint and Thompson-Hill, here.