Cutthroat competition and new digital consumer habits are increasingly forcing sportsbooks and affiliates to navigate difficult seas when trying to differentiate themselves and attract new audiences. But with extensive experience within the esports segment and digitally-native audiences, Abios and BETER are using their learnings to provide insights into how sportsbooks should be positioned to win the attention of the Netflix generation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the introduction of handheld devices, endless scrolling on social feeds, and on-demand video one click away, sports betting brands don\u2019t only compete with each other for users\u2019 attention but with endless sources of entertainment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brands that fail to ignite interest or keep users\u2019 attention, warn Abios and BETER, get switched out in the blink of an eye, just like the mountain of four-minute videos on TikTok that users scroll away into oblivion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why operators should look to product quality to inspire brand loyalty<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the two firms, operators in the online sports betting sector now have another beast to contend with: namely the low differentiation between sportsbooks. \u201cThe few differences seen often boil down to marketing, welcome bonuses and margins rather than product innovation offering an alternative betting experience,\u201d they advised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When sportsbooks and affiliates compete on bonuses and other promotions rather than product features, savvy users can have up to three to five accounts on several platforms, juggling offers to see which brand can provide the best promotion instead of choosing an operator based on a superior user experience. This, they believe, divides profits between several sports betting brands and increases marketing costs, as sportsbooks must rely on new customer acquisition to fill in gaps made by inconsistent users. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The core reason for operators failing to find customer brand loyalty might stem from a lack of product differentiation in the industry, said Abios and BETER. As bonuses and promotions are a core part of the sports betting experience, they shouldn\u2019t be sidelined, both firms advise. But neither should product innovation. To stand out and stay competitive in a saturated market, creating a unique user experience that delights and provides added value to customers should be ingrained in the core operating strategy. It provides stickiness and recurring users in ways promotions and time-limited offers never could. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What does the Netflix generation want?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With core audiences and buying power increasingly shifting to younger generations aged 18-45, it\u2019s important to consider digital consumer habits when building brand loyalty and considering product strategies. Community-building, on-demand content, authenticity and intuitive product features are all core components of many digital brands that succeeded in reaching these target groups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While it can be argued many online sportsbooks are digitally native with lots of content centred around some of the most coveted brands in the world, including the Champion\u2019s League, NFL or Wimbledon, it lacks the on-demand aspects many Millennials and Gen Z\u2019s have learned to expect from their digital products such as Netflix or Tiktok. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As such, younger Netflix generations accustomed to consuming entertainment on-demand might be tricky users to acquire, given the seasonal sports calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gearing sports betting to include an on-demand experience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Having operated in esports for 10 years, Abios specialises in supplying sportsbooks with engaging experiences in esports and digital sports geared toward end users aged 18-45 (Generation Z and Millennials). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Large sports events are entertaining but don\u2019t provide consistent content delivery. Abios has identified tournaments in sports games, such as esoccer, to have great potential to combat the seasonality in sports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n