Ever since the sports betting industry has been “equipped” with more than just the traditional distribution channel – which is the physical, brick-and-mortar betting shop – punters have been presented with several different choices. Bookmakers now distribute their products through various channels including websites, betting apps and social media. And this means that sports bettors have multiple points of access to the betting services.
As the internet grows and the digital technology expands, sportsbooks are faced with increased pressures and challenges to develop more and more touch points so as to enhance accessibility and facilitate the convenience for their users. All new betting sites that want to optimize their performance in the industry, now launch a number of different channels through which customers can bet and generally have all the betting experience they are looking for.
But what is challenging in these multi-channel operations is that unless there is integration which can guarantee seamless transition from one channel to another and consistent experience across channels, they are more likely to fail.
Omnichannel operations in this multi-faceted operational system, with which betting sites work, become not only a key driver of competitive advantage, but too often the only way to survive in an increasingly crowded industry. An industry where there are not only the online bookmakers competing, but also physical betting shops, in-person casinos as well as the online versions of these as the online Casinos in Portugal.
Omnichannel operations is actually the backbone of success and this is because customers today are rarely limiting themselves to one channel. Most users now have a desktop computer, a smartphone and a tablet, not to say smartwatches and other continuously new devices that are launched in the market. For them it should not be a matter of channel or more accurately a matter of device – they want the same, consistent services across channels and devices.
They don’t want their experience to be disrupted because they change channels and platforms. All channels need to be integrated so that communication between them is such that enables seamless transition from one to the other.
Let’s take the example of a customer who uses the betting app in his mobile phone to make a deposit and then goes to his desktop computer to place a bet. This should by no means be interrupted by the fact that the user has changed the access point.
We can take for granted that today sports bettors generally like to have multiple touchpoints and access points when it comes to their wagering activities. But these multiple platforms need to be absolutely and 100% integrated and synchronized so that the bettors’ experience in wagering with a certain bookmaker is always consistent, stable and homogeneous. For all the bookmakers and for the new sports betting sites especially, this means that the only way forward is to have omnichannel operations.
Omnichannel sports betting has a number of benefits both for the sportsbooks and their customers. Bookmakers get to have more satisfied and more loyal users, while also they get to push their revenues up by creating more long-lasting relations with the sports bettors. And they get to learn more and enhance their knowledge and understanding over customers’ behavior, which further helps them customize their offerings and personalize the services. And these mean greater customer satisfaction in the end.
And users get to benefit from omnichannel operations, particularly when it comes to the fact that they get the utmost convenience and above all they get to have an optimal experience from operations that are fully integrated into a seamless system.
Omnichannel sports betting is a win-win situation, where everybody gets to enjoy critical benefits that are game changing. So, omnichannel operations is the only way to go about competing effectively and succeeding in an industry wherein rivalry is peaking.