FEATURE
Across the continent, there is a longstanding appetite for betting and gaming
and the advancements of technology and
the increased access to better connected
devices means that lawmakers cannot
ignore the issue of regulation.
Overcoming technical challenges
However, there are still a number of
hurdles to clear in terms of technology.
A major consideration is how users are
presented with information, since the
majority are not on desktops or even
have Smartphones, but instead use
feature phones which have very limited
real estate, in terms of screen size, and
restricted functionality.
On the majority of feature phones,
JavaScript is very basic – if available at all –
so all functions that use JavaScript have to
be rethought. Even as you move onto more
up-to-date phones, or basic Smartphones,
making use of a lot of JavaScript would
to navigate
a few lines.
All told, there
are hundreds of
manufacturers of
thousands of models of
mobile phones in use. Each
device holds its own challenges and
there are simply too many to cater for every
single one. Feature phones are the most
challenging as the clientele that use them
still expect the same level of service on that
device as they do on a desktop, so it’s all
about how you cater for their needs in a
smart way.
Another main area of focus is enabling
payments in and out of the system,
focusing on mobile payments. A large
portion of the punters in Africa will make
use of PESA-style payment gateways as
they do not have access to a credit card and
a portion of those don’t even have access
to a bank account, therefore, enabling the
“With all marketing activities so carefully monitored,
this increased barrier to entry can be an advantage in
preventing an over saturated affiliate market.”
slow the device down while using it, so this
has to be kept in mind throughout.
In addition, the physical capabilities of
the device, whether it is touch, keypad or
scroll-wheel needs to be taken into account.
If a user is on a touch phone, the links
are slightly larger. If you are on a keypad
navigation phone, we need to ensure
that links are laid out in a smart way so
you don’t have to press down 20 times
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flow of money is also something that must
be kept in mind.
Africa has mostly skipped the desktop
generation and the majority of users
access the Internet only on mobiles,
frequently hand-me-downs, which means
that mobile must be a priority focus for
African markets. The main consideration
is always the user journey. This is the
part that we spend most time examining.
It is so easy
to disengage users,
especially at an early stage.
Challenges for affiliates
in Africa
In both South Africa and Kenya,
all marketing campaigns and
adverts have to be approved by the
relevant gambling boards if they are
to appear outside of a licensed betting
venue. This is a challenge for affiliates
but it can also be seen as a benefit.
With all marketing activities so carefully
monitored, this increased barrier to
entry can be an advantage
in preventing an over saturated
affiliate market.
So, engaging bettors and players in
emerging markets can be difficult – and
it has a number of other challenges
compared to the mature markets that
affiliates are more used to.
For example, access to media is one
issue. Quite a lot of people don’t have
access to all types of media so your
campaigns would have to be multi-channel,
which pushes costs up. Another is brand
continuity. Customers tend to trust brands
that they are familiar with and are wary of
others. There is nothing new in that, but
it is a particular challenge to overcome in