Online sports betting operators in the UK and Ireland found themselves under the microscope of corporate research and data specialist Global Reviews in 2014.
Global Reviews analyzed three different areas of betting companies’ digital performance: digital sales effectiveness (DSE), which ranks how well companies convert customers online; mobile sales effectiveness (MSE), which analyzes mobile conversion; and digital marketing effectiveness (DME), which measures how well companies attract online customers. Full details of methodology are exhaustingly detailed in the webinar video at the bottom of this page.
DIGITAL MARKETING EFFECTIVENESS
In one study, using a sample size of 200 punters in June 2014, Global Review found that over 90% of participants used search engines to find a new betting provider but 89% of participants began their quest via a search engine. Of these, 62% went directly from search engine to a betting website, underscoring the importance of strong brand identity.
Around 65% of punters claimed they had an initial brand preference before beginning their search, a preference that was usually based on having used this brand in the past. Some 68% of punters in the study said they were already current customers of at least one sports betting provider.
The prime factor that drove ‘shortlisting’ of potential betting companies was familiarity with the brand (14%) followed closely by their results having come up via a search engine (12%). Having a site that looks ‘easy to use’ scored 11%, the same number that shortlisted the site for having ‘good prices/offers’.
Global Reviews found that while Ladbrokes and William Hill scored roughly the same in terms of unprompted brand awareness, Hills performed much better at the conversion from brand recall to ‘preferred’ betting site. Betfair started from a much lower base of brand awareness than Hills or Lads, but scored best in terms of conversion.
In the ‘blank screen’ section of the survey, in which punters were literally put in front of a blank web browser and asked to start their betting quest, seven of the top keywords entered were brand names (the others being ‘online betting,’ ‘betting sites’ and ‘online betting sites’). Of the brands, Hills ranked first with 11%, followed by Lads with 7%
Comparing a punter’s stated initial preference for a betting site when compared to their final preference after they’ve done their research, Ladbrokes doesn’t come off well. Lads’ initial preference is 13% while its final preference is only 15%. Compare this to Hills, whose initial preference is 11% but final preference leaps to 26%. Paddy Power moved from 12% to 17%, Betfair moved from 8% to 10% while Sky Bet moved from 4% to 9%.
Hills was the biggest poacher of punters who originally stated a preference for Ladbrokes but who ultimately chose to wager with someone else. Hills captured 30% of would-be Lads bettors, followed by Paddy Power (28%), Betfair (16%), Sky Bet (10%), Coral (9%) and Bet365 (4%). Of those who opted for Hills, the key factors included trust in the brand and the fact that Hills’ website allowing them to easily compare betting options.
SALES AND MOBILE EFFECTIVENESS
The importance of one’s website design was reinforced by the DSE scores, in which William Hill scored highest in both initial engagement and registration. Interestingly, Bet365 scored lowest in terms of initial engagement.
Coral placed highest when Global Reviews asked punters to actually place a wager with each studied site, while Betfair ranked dead last. Chief complaints about placing a bet with Betfair were difficulties in “finding where to start,” the process being “confusing” and “no instructions or help to assist me through the process.” Individual punters reported they “couldn’t find anything to tell me where it was let alone how to do it” and “too complicated.”
As an aside, Global Reviews cited anecdotal research that icons combined with associated text – an envelope icon along with the word ‘email’ – perform better than icons alone.
In terms of mobile effectiveness, Betfair scored highest in initial engagement while Hills scored lowest. But Betfair was again the cellar dweller in terms of both placing mobile bets and customer registration. Paddy Power ranked highest in placing a mobile wager while Sportingbet topped the mobile registration chart.
Global Review’s top three recommendations to improve customers’ digital experiences in 2015 are: (a) increase ‘why choose us’ validation at key decision points; (b) promote and encourage the online and mobile channels; and (c) incorporate more online support within bet slips.
