Shalva Bukia, CPO at SPRIBE, on why challenges such as missions, tasks, races and tournaments are mission-critical to player retention at a time when churn remains high
Retention. This is perhaps the biggest challenge faced by online casino and sportsbook brands. Despite their efforts, players remain promiscuous and are willing to switch brands simply because they’ve been offered a tasty sign-up bonus.
This is why it’s important for operators to foster a powerful sense of FOMO so that players won’t be tempted away from their casinos and books just because they’ve been given a free spins or free bets offer. But this is easier said than done.
Traditional loyalty schemes just don’t hit the mark with modern players, and certainly the next generation of players that brands are trying to engage today – I’m talking about the lucrative Millennial and Gen Z demographics.
Why? Because these players are looking for a lot more than the chance to earn points based on the money they wager, and to then use those points to clear levels and unlock perks. Instead, they want rich experiences that are deeply social.
And this is where challenges, missions, tasks and tournaments come in. Each of these adds another dimension to the gameplay, bringing more social engagement while also rewarding players for staying loyal to the casino or sportsbook.
But what do we actually mean by challenges, missions, tasks and tournaments? Allow me to explain.
Challenge accepted:
At SPRIBE, we’ve been working hard on a toolbox of retention features, which we have packaged up under Aviator Challenges, providing players with a fresh way to experience the game while allowing operators to crank up engagement levels.
It includes Missions, in which players complete a task before a deadline to claim a prize, great for daily task-format promotions. Races are similar to Missions but with a limited prize pool. This creates a strong sense of FOMO among players while helping operators stay in control of promotional budgets. Then we have Tournaments, which take the classic format loved by players.
The deeper engagement and added value Aviator Challenges bring to players also benefits the operator, which can enjoy a boost to key metrics such as retention rates and the number of bets per session.
The psychology behind the fun:
But how exactly do challenges boost engagement and, ultimately, strengthen retention? It comes down to enriching the player experience and providing even more value from the game and, indeed, their time at the online casino or sportsbook.
Sure, a generous welcome bonus might tempt them to try a new brand, but these bonuses get used up quickly, and then the player is left with a very similar experience to the brand they left. But if the operator can incentivise and reward loyalty, players are unlikely to jump ship in the first instance.
The operators who are already live with Aviator Challenges have seen an immediate and profound impact on player behaviour. For critical metrics like short-term retention and number of bets per player, a sharp and significant increase has been reported.
Operator control is a must:
To get the most out of retention tools such as Aviator Challenges, operator control is a must. We give operators full control over the Challenges and Tournaments they create and run at a local level, while network-wide Challenges and Tournaments are run and managed by SPRIBE.
Operators can also choose the type, timing, prize format (including auto-paid free bets), names and descriptions, as well as colours and branding, so that Challenges and tasks are unique to them. This means Challenges can be designed for and deployed to specific player segments.
This allows operators to get really creative with how they market challenges to players, and this is actually the key to unlocking the full potential they offer.
This includes properly segmenting audiences while creating well-balanced prize zones and rewards, alongside mixing up the types of tasks they require players to complete. The operators already live with Aviator Challenges that have done this see better metrics than the regional average.
Personalised challenges on a regional scale:
It’s vital that operators can tailor the Challenges they offer to players, and that those Challenges can be tailored to specific player preferences. But the social, interactive aspect is just as important, and that’s why the future of Challenges will be on a regional and even national level.
Part of what makes challenges so compelling is that players know they are competing with others – this is certainly the case with races and tournaments.
So, the more players you can bring into the pool, the higher the level of competition, the more opportunities for social interaction and the bigger the prizes that can be offered.
This is something we are set to roll out in the coming months, first in Africa and then internationally after that.
Retention might be the biggest challenge that operators face right now, but for me, it presents the biggest opportunity to elevate the player experience, add more value to their time with the brand and keep them coming back for more.