[C O L U M N I S T ]
S T E W A R T H O L T
on-site conversion specialist
IgnitionOne
traditional, experienced sales assistant and is more effective than a pop-up.
Getting the most from bespoke optimisation & digital marketing
Stewart Holt, on-site conversion specialist at IgnitionOne, explains how online gambling companies can attract new customers and generate more business
nline gambling ?rms spend fortunes raising awareness and directing traffic to their websites, but getting people there is only half the battle. A visit isn’t necessarily a guaranteed conversion. In fact, on most sites only 3% of visitors actually convert, leaving a huge proportion of interested visit ors with their potential untapped. With these factors in mind, online bookmakers are looking for ways to increase registrations from potential customers in an intensely competitive and volatile market. They want to maximise the potential of non-converting users already on their site and optimise the most important point of customer engagement to lift conversion rates. Everything must be done to prevent them going to a competitor. Using site optimisation and lead generation tools, online gambling ?rms can increase registrations, deposits and bets placed. The improvement in customer experience through site optimisation also has a positive effect on brand satisfaction and helps ensure a higher proportion of return visits. Technology observes the behaviour of online customers and uses the data to trigger an offer based on their realtime interest and propensity to bet. The results are impressive – Betfred.com uses personalised pop-ins and has seen a 49% uplift in new customer registrations.
Virtual assistance
A quality virtual pop-in assistant is tailored, promotes a bet you had been looking at that is available in the shop, and guides you to a booth with a tailored betting slip. This is how a bespoke conversion solution helps customers on-site. Pop-ins look and feel like part of the website content and can navigate a visitor to more relevant parts of the offering. Visitors with a high engagement score can be targeted with a pop-in containing two calls to action: ‘Register Now’ or ‘Log in’. The pop-in contains an offer relevant to that speci?c visitor’s interest pro?le. Contact details and live chat links are tailored to the customer’s interest so any query can be channelled to the appropriate team. This interaction is triggered by the visitor’s unique interest score and is designed to be shown when they reach the crucial conversion tipping point. To reduce the number of dropouts, a second pop-in can be triggered speci?cally within the registration page. This pop-in reinforces the relevant offer and encourages the visitor to contact customer support if they are experiencing any difficulties in registering. The pop-in on this page is triggered based on the amount of time spent on the page, as well as by mouse position. If the visitor moves their mouse above the top of the page (indicating they may be about to leave), the pop-in is triggered. Providing a customised experience at the appropriate time signi?cantly increases the likelihood of a positive interaction with the visitor, resulting in an increase of new registrations. To prove the uplift is generated by the conversion technology, testing should be carried out whereby a control group of traffic is not shown any interactions. As well as the conversion uplift noticed by Betfred.com, the reaction to the pop-ins by visitors was very positive, with 25% of users shown the pop-in using the call-toaction and engaging with it. There are a lot of external factors hampering gambling brands from gaining leads, so their best chance is optimising potential customers already on the site. Bespoke optimisation and digital marketing tools are a gamble worth taking, just ask Betfred.
O
Driven by an audience scoring engine, the technology monitors browsing behaviour based on 120 different variables (including click behaviour, dwell time, speci?c product views, recency, frequency and monetary value) of each user. The score triggers customised calls to action, designed to provide each individual visitor with an offer relevant to their gaming interests. Imagine yourself in a betting shop and looking to place a bet; the assistant is observing your behaviour and is poised to approach at the most appropriate moment. Just when you are at the crucial purchase point, the assistant moves in but manhandles you out of the premises into a betting booth in a different shop, then forces a blank betting slip into your hand. This is an example of the ‘pop-up’ experience in real life. From a marketer’s perspective, they open a new window in your browser, taking visitors away from the site. Conversely, a pop-in mimics a
To reduce the number of dropouts, a second pop-in can be triggered within the registration page
www.egrmagazine.com
7