With over a decade of experience in customer analytics, data-driven strategy and retention, Retief Uys has become a leading voice in the industry. Currently serving as Head of Yield and Retention Marketing at Sportingbet South Africa, he’s known for combining technical insight with practical strategy to drive long-term player value.
Later this month, Retief will take to the iGX Summit stage to share his expertise during a panel session focusing on how operators can leverage advanced attribution models to track conversions, measure the effectiveness of media campaigns, and boost their global impact.
To give you a sneak peek of what he’s got in store, we invited Retief to join iGamingFuture’s Head of Content, Curtis Roach, on our virtual couch to discuss his upcoming panel, which industry events are the most valuable to attend, and the evolving role of gamification in securing the next generation of players.
Read on for an exclusive behind-the-scenes preview.
With so many industry events happening throughout the year, it can be challenging to determine which ones offer the most value. How do you decide which events, such as iGX, are most important to attend and why?
“You’re right; there are a lot of events, and it’s impossible to attend them all. I tend to decide based on three factors: who will be attending, the relevance of the topics covered, and the quality of the networking opportunities.
“If the speakers can provide value and the topics are relevant to me, I will attend. In terms of networking, all conferences generally offer good opportunities, but iGX stands out in this respect because it’s aimed at C-level attendees.
“There aren’t many conferences that do this. Other events tend to be enormous, aimed at the entire industry, and you can easily get lost in the sea of people. For me, iGX strikes the right balance between being big enough but also curated enough to ensure I can get the maximum value from attending.”
What will you be speaking about during your panel at IGX, and what knowledge or practical tips will delegates learn from attending?
“The panel is about maximising your global impact, focusing on how you can leverage advanced attribution models to track customer conversions and measure the effectiveness of media campaigns.
“The key message I want to highlight is that players engage with brands across multiple channels and touchpoints. Operators need to understand customer origins and optimise return on marketing investment.
“During the panel, I aim to cut through the complexity and provide practical strategies for attendees to follow that help them understand where conversions come from. I’ll also give insights to help operators move beyond last-click attribution, providing real-world examples of aligning attribution with both brand and performance KPIs.
“The core message I want to communicate is that the key to attribution is not one-size-fits-all. Instead, I think it is about understanding your growth state, where you are in the market, your data capabilities, and finding the right type of attribution model to measure your marketing effectiveness.”
Is gamification the key to maximising loyalty with the new generation of players?
“That’s a great question and there’s a divided opinion on this matter. I think gamification is a powerful lever, but it’s not a silver bullet.
“The newer generation of players expect more than just points and badges and things like that. They’re looking for truly personalised experiences, and that’s what we need to provide.
“The positive thing about gamification is that it taps into the psychology of progress, achievement and reward, and that’s something powerful – but for it to be effective, you first need to deliver genuine value through your product and market positioning.
“If you’ve not first presented users with a solid value proposition, gamification will hold little appeal.”
What other iGX panel or speaker are you most interested in hearing?
“My core skill set is retention–I find anything around this topic interesting–so I’m most excited about Nissim Barukh’s session, which is a case study called ‘Do Promotions Still Work? How Codere Succeeds in Reducing the Cost of Promotion and Bonuses While Creating Higher Retention Rates That Last.’
“I’m interested because the session will explore why customer experience now outweighs traditional bonus incentives–I think this is a very relevant and interesting topic right now, and there’s a lot of divided opinion in the industry–the critical role of content, and Codere’s take on hyper-personalisation.
“It’ll be great to hear the Codere experience first-hand, learn what worked and what didn’t, and get a different perspective.”
Editor’s Note:
In the crowded iGaming conference calendar, identifying events that offer a real return on investment can be a challenge. But for retention and marketing professionals like Retief, the iGX Summit stands out as one of the most valuable.
Aimed at C-suite executives and digital marketing leaders, the summit offers a unique combination of expert-led discussions, case studies and high-value networking opportunities that allow attendees to make the most of their time without getting lost in the crowd.
This year, Retief will not only share his expert insights but also provide attendees with unmissable, practical strategies and real-world tactics they can implement immediately to better understand conversions, refine their marketing campaigns and maximise their impact.
Don’t miss out – The iGX Summit takes place on June 18-19 at Hilton London, Syon Park.
