Design or content – The key to customer loyalty for iGaming?

What is the key to customer loyalty for iGaming – design or content? There is no clear-cut answer to this complex question, writes Betinvest COO Max Dubossarsky.

Experts believe that the average person sees around 3000 advertising messages a day. Advertisements are played before TV shows, they appear amongst articles in the pages of glossy magazines, look out from billboards, and digital ads appear according to users’ digital footprints. 

Of these 3000 ads, people will remember 10 – at best.  In all this diversity of choice, how is it possible to not just get the attention of potential users, but turn them into loyal customers?

Some people believe that design is the best way to make a product memorable – this is what will first attract customers. Others insist that the benefits of the product must be communicated above all else: the design is a bonus.

Why design might be most important:

1. Design is key to making customers aware of a product. When supply considerably exceeds demand, a unique product image is one of the best ways to set it apart from the others and make it memorable. 
2. In these times of digitalisation and gamification, reality is divided into the physical and virtual worlds, and so new technologies (3D, AR, VR, etc) are part of our daily life. An eye-catching design is one way to attract a new target market. 
3. Design helps to create player loyalty. For example, ancient Egyptian motifs in slots are still popular because of the classic game Book of Ra, and classic 3-reel games played on five paylines depicting images of fruits are a top choice to this day due to their widespread popularity in mainstream culture: you only need to think about films about betting in Las Vegas, where slots like these are played. Game designs that have stood the test of time create player loyalty faster than new games.

Why content might be most important:

1. Design can attract attention, but it cannot necessarily turn potential users into loyal players if the product itself offers nothing of novelty. Emphasis must therefore be placed on the features of the product that make it stand out from others on the market.
2. Bright, original designs will not make up for users’ experience of a product. For example, your sportsbook may look better than all the others on the market, but if it does not offer relevant sports and a wide selection of markets, adaptability for different devices and reliable data, your chances of it being the sportsbook of choice for bettors will be diminished. 
3. Seeing is not the same as remembering, and remembering is not the same as loving. You – as a brand – need to be trusted. Design is therefore a secondary factor in a customer’s choice of product.

So, whether you emphasise design or content is up to you. We can only tell you that both are requirements in a commercially viable product. Today’s users represent a contradiction in terms: they tend to want a multi-faceted product which is easy to use – all without compromising quality. Thus, the task of providers and operators is to create a product that meets the needs of end users in all respects.