Building “sticky” experiences can help lotteries attract and retain players across both digital and retail channels. With a combined 28 years of experience, Scientific Games’ digital lottery marketing experts, Liz Button and Thomas Spöring, shared simple tips for player experiences at the recent EL/WLA Marketing Seminar in London earlier this year.
A Two-Part Experience
“Viewing the player as the center of the universe helps us create that ideal experience that keeps them satisfied,” says Button, Digital Product Manager for Scientific Games. “A truly sticky player experience has the perfect balance of two elements: convenience and enjoyment.”
Convenience
In the digital era, consumers expect an easy, seamless experience from their digital entertainment, and meeting that expectation allows lotteries to remain competitive. “In a sticky player experience, everything the player cares about – from games to coupons to promotions – is immediately accessible,” says Button. Scientific Games’ experts use a range of technologies to enhance player convenience:
- Cutting-Edge Systems: Flexible systems allow lotteries to build websites and apps with key features that increase convenience, like mobile cashing, ePlaySlips, retailer locators and one-click purchasing.
- Omnichannel Ecosystem: By making it easy for players to move between retail and digital, lotteries give players more convenient access to games, which helps boost overall proceeds. For example, in Pennsylvania, omnichannel players had a 157% higher lifetime value.
- Player Account Management: A comprehensive player account management system increases convenience while supporting responsible gaming initiatives.
- Customer Relationship Management: Scientific Games’ CRM services are making an impact in 12 lottery jurisdictions, allowing lotteries to connect on a personalized level with potential and current players. The company’s award-winning CRM team works with partner lotteries to craft relevant messaging and identify friction points for players.
Within these robust technology solutions, consistency is key to building convenience. “If a lottery has a website and a mobile app, creating a similar experience across these platforms builds trust with players and makes it easier for them to navigate omnichannel play,” said Button.
Enjoyment
Creating unique content with a variety of playstyles that lives up to players’ expectations promotes enjoyment across all channels. “The key is to make the play experience entertaining so that the player finds value in their spend, whether they win or lose,” says Spöring, International Digital and Sports Business Development Director for Scientific Games. “We recommend the use of enjoyment-enhancing features.”
- Add-Ons: Opportunities like progressive jackpots keep players engaged even if they don’t win a prize initially. One such innovation from the Scientific Games team is EPIC DRAW, an exciting eInstants add-on offering players the opportunity to wager on an eInstant game and earn entries into a drawing for multiple big prizes that can be activated anytime.
- Loyalty and Rewards: Creating a customized loyalty and rewards solution can foster brand affinity and engagement while meeting jurisdictional regulations. These programs may include rewards, second-chance drawings, a point system for drawing participation and achievements.
- Gamification: Gamifying the lottery experience through digital reveals and other interactive features intensifies the entertainment value of every purchase.
By balancing convenience and enjoyment features, lotteries can add value to lottery play and ultimately create a perfectly sticky experience that centers on the player and keeps them excited to engage with their brand and products.
