The last few months has seen a number of companies adapt their business models towards digital products and according to Will Whitehead – Associate Director of mkodo, this upward trend of digital products is only going to continue.
Ahead of Betting on Sports Europe – Digital 2020 next week, Will Whitehead sat down with SBC to discuss mkodo’s sponsorship of the event. He offered his advice to companies across the betting and gaming industry, stating that now is the time to be investing into mobile apps to ensure that customer needs are met.
What are you looking forward to at Betting on Sports Europe – Digital 2020?
I always look forward to the different SBC events, originally in person and now the virtual events. The key things I look for are two-fold; Networking and Education. The networking is key for mkodo as one of our core new business strategies is to market our name, brand and capabilities by speaking on panels and meeting others within our industry via the networking platforms that SBC offer.
The education side of the conference is important for myself and my colleagues. To listen to panels from CEOs, operators, b2b suppliers, subject-matter-experts, gives you a great insight as to what’s going on in the industry, how others are dealing with the ‘new normal’ and gives us opportunities to learn from others.
I’m particularly interested in hearing how companies are moving forward from the past 6 months and looking to adapt their business model to ensure a higher focus on digital products and digital strategies. Although this has clearly been crucial for businesses over the past 10 years or so, it’s now more important than ever to invest in a leading digital strategy.
What would be your biggest bit of advice for betting and gaming businesses trying to mitigate the impact of COVID-19?
Invest in mobile apps. The stats show that customers are using mobile, and apps in particularly, now more than ever and this trend will only increase.
As customers become more educated on what a good customer-experience and a good user-experience is, operators must invest in a high-quality app offering, as it’s the minimum that customers now expect.
What are you promoting at Betting on Sports Europe – Digital 2020?
We’re always looking to promote our ability to design, develop and test world-class mobile apps within regulated markets globally, but we also want to support operators and b2b suppliers by sharing our knowledge and consulting on the latest Apple 4.7 casino games guidelines, iOS14 changes, and other opportunities that the latest operating systems upgrades can bring.
We have regular conversations with businesses within the industry and a theme we often hear is that companies are concerned about Apple and Android changing their guidelines, but mkodo are very clear in their thoughts that these Operating Systems updates bring many opportunities and if you stick to their frameworks, you can develop highly innovative content and very secure products.
Alongside our custom app development, we are offering entry level digital products that will help players enter newly regulated markets and, for those with established products, we are introducing digital player acquisition and engagement products such as our mini app SDKs.
What industry innovation will capture the most attention in 2020?
Operators who are providing a seamless and functional experience between digital devices and retail shops. Companies that are using the latest digital technologies, and introducing them within a brick and mortar environment, are supporting the needs of their entire customer base, e.g. building a bet, generating a barcode, saving to your Apple or Google Wallet then placing a bet within the shop, or allowing customers to cashout on a retail purchased bet, using their app.
This technology has been around for a while, but there’s not many operators leveraging the full capabilities of the devices to make these journeys super seamless.
In the app world, the user privacy updates from Apple and Android will need attention from operators – particularly as regards analytics and geo-location and, on the opportunity side, the new UX features on iOS14 such as Widgets and App Clips will help with digital player engagement.
Which operator has impressed you the most in 2020?
I like to see operators who are unafraid to innovate and invest in an improved UX for their customers. Danske Spil continue to invest in their digital to retail experience and recognise the need for a bespoke UX that suits their customer base for each vertical and each channel, whilst using cross-product functionality, such as the Player Account Management, where sensible.
Bet365 are always updating and improving the navigation, UI and ‘nativeness’ of their mobile app and adding nice features like the new golf tracker. Ladbrokes have introduced innovative features such as 5-a-Side, which I like. Whilst lottery operators such as BCLC continue to recognise the need for a world-class app experience, to complement their retail and online strategy.
What partnership has stood out in the past 12 months?
The partnerships that stand out are those where operators who partner with specialists in different areas of the business to provide the best of breed experience and quality to each product.
The trend of one-size-fits-all platforms and front-end, can be practical, but offers limitations on the UX, ongoing maintenance and limits the ability to innovate. Operators who partner with front-end specialists, such as mkodo, offer the customer a much wider range of quality, bespokeness and innovation that customers expect these days.
Which parts of the conference agenda have caught your eye?
The Innovation in Sports Betting track on Day 1 should hopefully bring up some good ideas and insight into what other operators and suppliers are looking at for 2021.