SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
With the mobile betting industry set to be worth £27 billion1 by 2017, Sports Betting Providers are sharpening their mobile strategies in order to optimise punters’ mobile customer experience. It’s even more pertinent when you consider that the Google Play Store does not allow apps that facilitate online gambling.
- So how will Sports Betting Providers win the punters’ mobile pound?
- Should Sports Betting Providers have one mobile strategy for Apple fans and a different strategy for Android users?
- Or should they just have one mobile strategy irrespective of which type of mobile device punters bet on?
Findings from Global Reviews’ latest research into the UK Sports Betting industry will help to answer these questions.
The science behind the mobile research
The Global Reviews Mobile Sales Effectiveness* study of UK Sports Betting Providers Q1 2015 looked at how effective the mobile sites of Bet 365, Bet Fred, Bet Fair, Bet Victor, Coral, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power, Sky Bet and William Hill are at converting and convincing punters to place a bet with them.
The field work for this research was completed in January and February of this year. Along with Global Reviews’ best practice audit, the research also comprised remote usability testing, an element of which is where tasks were set for punters who are looking to open or switch an online sports betting account within the next 90 days. These tasks are completed by the participants as they are going through a pre-assigned sports betting mobile site.
Even spilt of Android and iOS devices users in study
A total of 281 in-market bettors participated in this study. 51% (or 143) of those interviewed completed the research on an Android device, while 49% (or 138) of those interviewed completed the research on an iOS device.
Less effort needed by iPhone users
The Customer Effort Score (CES) is measured by asking punters to rate the level of effort needed to move and navigate through a particular sports betting providers mobile site. Where 1 is ‘not an awful lot of effort’ and 5 requires a ‘very high level of effort’. The score we are looking for here is the score that is closest to zero.
With the lower CES score of 1.85, bettors with an iPhone perceive the amount of effort required to be less than the perceived level of effort needed by Android users (1.92)
Fig 1 Customer Effort Score
Source: Global Reviews Mobile Sales Effectiveness study into UK Sports Betting Providers Q1 2015
Higher task success rate by iPhone users
At the end of each task Global Reviews asked each of the ‘in market’ research participants to indicate how successful they were in completing the task by hitting either the success or abandon button. 62% of all participants across the nine different brands were successful in completing the five different tasks.
There is a noticeable difference in the task success rate between those using an iPhone or an Android device. At 65% the iPhone score is six percentage points higher that the score for Android. So punters with iPhone are more successful at complete the assigned tasks (we have no comment on whether or not they are more successful at winning!)
Fig 2 Task Success Rate
Source: Global Reviews Mobile Sales Effectiveness study into UK Sports Betting Providers Q1 2015
So who are they? The profiles of iPhone and Android bettors
Android owners are more likely to be male, and to be older than iPhone users. Yet there is little difference between the different phone owners in terms of family status, propensity to be single, be in a relationship or to have children.
There is a significant difference however in the total household income of each of these segments. iPhone owners total household income is on average £13,000 higher than Android owners – which has of course significant implications on potential disposable income and need states.
It is interesting then, when it is considered that the mobile websites of iPhone users are rated as being easier to navigate than the Android website, when in reality they are largely the same.
Considering the differences between those who own an Android against those who own an iPhone, it could be postulated that iPhone owners are not only easier to please they are a more valuable consumer base.
As casual gaming on smartphones has exploded amongst women in recent years, is there an opportunity for Sports Betting companies to set new sights on attracting more female bettors?
It is important to note however that 67% of UK consumers in 2013 were reported as owning a smartphone of which iPhone own 31% of this market2. So Android users still represents the lion’s share of the market.
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Authors:
- Marie Sheehan – Head of Marketing, Global Reviews
- Gerard Farrell – Senior Client Advisor, Global Reviews
