Identifying and accommodating changing gaming player demands

Gaming is a global industry, with long-established bases and a range of growing markets around the world. In this complex landscape, player demands are constantly evolving – so how can operators adapt?

To meet the needs of a diverse client base and accommodate changing player demands, two themes are key: personalization and localization. It is vital to understand your players, both in the context of their national or regional market, and as individuals with specific tastes and preferences. 

Take the African market, for instance. Describing this as a single ‘market’ is perhaps too broad a term for a continent of 54 countries and 1.4 billion people. A one-size-fits-all approach would be doomed to fail.

Overcoming challenges in emerging markets

Consumers in the Nigerian market display an appetite for many gaming options in an individual game, according to industry insiders: thousands of choices in a particular soccer match, for instance. This market is dominated by many ‘low-value’ players, who make up about half of the market, with the rest comprised of medium and high-value customers; it is not the same in South Africa, which features more of a spread. 

Operators must drill down to a deeper level to serve customers to the optimum level. In Africa, sports betting can be seen as a way to finance daily lives.

To take an example from a different continent, Brazilian insiders point to the danger of bonus abuse, where a fraudster signs up to the same promotional offer on different occasions.

Embedding personalization in the customer journey

What does all this mean for operators? Of course, each company will take its own approaches to personalize its products and services for particular markets and individual customers. But some approaches are common across the board. 

Perhaps most notably, it is essential to build an adaptable, individualized approach right from the level of customer onboarding and identity verification (IDV). At the most basic level, you must ensure the user journey occurs in the right language. Beyond that, your brand must personalize the journey based on the needs of the market: for example, certain forms of identification or documentation will be appropriate to specific countries. 

As gaming reaches into new markets – many of which offer a far more level playing field for new entrants – it will be vital to ensure compliance and establish your brand. Effective engagement is vital, particularly for smaller brands that might not have the reputation and resources of their larger rivals.

Using localization to meet different market needs

Localization also plays a vital role in meeting varying standards of global regulation, which in turn helps build out your brand through establishing credibility. This is another key step towards meeting the varying demands of players in different markets around the world. 

Whether it’s issues around affordability in the UK or insufficient clarity on KYC in different markets, Veriff can work with operators – and regulators – to tailor IDV solutions that suit your customers’ needs.