Kyle Wiltshire, CEO at TESTA, says operators must have real-world insight into their UX in all of the markets they target, and that crowdsourced testing is the best way to get it.
The user experience offered by an online sportsbook or casino is mission-critical when it comes to acquisition and retention, and ultimately the success of the brand.
Sure, big bonuses and generous welcome packages catch the eye, but it’s the underlying experience that determines whether a player signs up for the brand and then sticks around.
Free bets and bonus spins only last for a short period of time, after all.
But with operators now running their brands in multiple markets around the world, ensuring the UX is on-point (and localised and compliant in each jurisdiction) is easier said than done.
Ultimately, this requires reliable, real-world insights from consumers on the ground as this is the only way to truly understand the experience being offered to the player.
Why real-world insights in each market are a must:
Multi-jurisdiction operators in particular need to meet market-specific player preferences and regulatory requirements, both of which impact the user experience.
Even for those active in a single market, if that market is not where the operator is physically located, they still need to fully understand the experience players are receiving.
This allows operators to optimise and ensure cultural relevance with journeys, game mechanics, game themes and language that resonate.
For example, a client of ours had the wrong character in Japanese for “Banker” in Baccarat. There was nothing technically wrong with the translation as it did indeed say “Banker”.
The problem was a nuanced one – on a Japanese Baccarat table, “Banker” is spelt phonetically as “Banka” so using “Banker” literally would be seen as incorrect and untrustworthy.
Without real-world insights generated from players on the ground in Japan, the operator would have missed this oversight.
This is why real-world insights give operators a significant competitive advantage, allowing them to close gaps, optimise and tailor their proposition to meet the unique demands of each market.
The risks of not using real-world insights and feedback:
If the UX is not up to scratch, players will be dissatisfied and ultimately lose faith in, and trust with, the brand. This can lead to an increase in churn with players switching to a rival brand.
This in turn means reduced market penetration and growth. Without understanding the micro experiences in each market, operator marketing strategies may miss the mark and hinder acquisition.
Worse, those players who do engage with the brand off the back of marketing activity will quickly drop off if the experience they receive is not up to standard.
In such a competitive market, and with acquisition costs only rising, this can be game over for a gambling brand.
Where poor UX is felt the most:
A poor UX is felt right across the customer journey but there are some key friction points.
This includes onboarding and registration – the ease of the signup process, including page download times and complexity, and how well local languages and user verification methods are applied to specific regions, are of particular importance.
Then you have payments and withdrawals. The cashier must be stocked with local payment providers and withdrawals need to be smooth and seamless – where possible, instant payouts should be provided.
Gameplay can often have issues such as download times, latency and lag, as well as audio/visual synchronisation – all of which are critical to the experience. Poor performance in these areas can frustrate players, negatively impacting satisfaction and, ultimately, retention.
How to get real-world insights into your UX:
There are several ways operators can go about getting real-world player insights but the easiest and most effective is crowdsourced testing.
Providers such as TESTA have a global network of real users on the ground ready to test online sportsbooks, casinos and games, in real-world conditions in multiple markets.
It’s important to note that many operators come to us before launching in a market, as we can carry out real-world testing on competitors, too.
This allows them to understand the competitive landscape and to identify any gaps they might have in their brand, product and UX.
Then, once live, it’s common for operators to undertake continuous monitoring to help further develop and refine their proposition – this is why we offer a monthly subscription model.
How to use real-world insights to make UX improvements:
Using real-world feedback allows operators, and game studios, to make iterative improvements and to focus on the areas that are most critical to player satisfaction.
It helps them to tailor and personalise marketing and promotions to the preferences and playing habits in a specific market.
It can also be used to enhance customer support, another key battleground for operators, by optimising services to address the common and critical issues faced by players in each market.
Operators need to have a long-term engagement strategy that goes beyond initial acquisition and insights from crowdsourced testing can help in crafting these strategies.
When this is combined with advanced analytics and AI to predict trends and player needs, operators can proactively adapt the gaming experience so that it always meets (or even exceeds) expectations in each market, while ensuring a flawless UX at all times.
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