Online Operators: Respecting User Emotions Increases Engagement

An in-depth study by Optimove shows that much of the user value of online wagering and gaming is in the emotional experience.

Emotional Balance in Play

The thrill of victory and the temporary disappointment of defeat are the two emotional experiences that are being pursued with every wager. The fun of the game, the uniqueness of the operator site, and the nuances of each game all offer further emotional enhancement for the end user as customer.

Personal Associations

Operators would do well to rely on personal associations in order to implement effective emotional stimuli into their programming offerings. From the memory of an innocent game of checkers with friends, or talking to a new girl or boy we liked, or scratching off lottery or fast food game cards, the thrill of anticipation and a fascination with the unknown has been developed in all of us since we were children.

Emotional Engagement

The key is that the emotional response, or set of responses, should keep the user playing—make them comfortable, feel a sense of fairness, provide sufficient enjoyment in the game irregardless of outcome, etc.

Supplemental Research

In addition to marketing instincts, there is now research. Frustration, happiness, and euphoria are three primary emotions associated with activities with unknown outcomes. People have different responses to each of these emotions. Frustration makes some people give up, while others try harder; happiness makes people repeat their behavior, or walk away satisfied; euphoria can make us repeat the behavior at a later time, or stop while we are ahead. The behavioral psychology behind emotional reactions is endless.

Market research on customer payout ratios breaks down customers into three distinct behavior personas: Losers, Break Evens, and Winners. Losers and Winners tend to have strong emotional responses which result in churning, or high turnover in these groups.

Market Research Calls for Balance

Gaming operators now have innovative marketing data to illuminate which marketing actions might prevent the two extreme groups of losers and winners from stopping play, in the interests of offering a wider balance between the two emotional and player group extremes. Minimizing the drama and optimizing the payouts may shift the focus from winning and losing into having fun and learning.