Today we continue our recap of our contribution to the 2017 EGR Affiliate Report, which focuses on crafting a strong and effective customer experience. In part one, which you can read here, we looked at the influences of teamwork, big data and emerging tech. In the second and final part, we explore the role of user experience (UX) and the importance of the resulting interactions.

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User Experience (UX)

Affiliates and operators currently focused on collaboration and making informed data-based decisions will likely see the optimisation of their UX as a natural next step towards a rewarding customer experience (CX).

UX, which traditionally highlights usability, design and information architecture, is evolving by placing just as much focus, if not more, on the satisfaction gained from product interactions. With entertainment and excitement both inherent traits of egaming, affiliates and operators are in an exceptionally strong position to capitalise on that evolution and develop a UX that encourages brand engagement.

According to Miklos Philips, UX designer for Toptal, those interactions are the lifeblood of a CX capable of establishing emotional connections. “As technology levels the playing field, almost anyone can bring together a team and technology to create functional and feature-rich everyday consumer products,” Philips recently wrote on Toptal.com. “What is a more difficult task, however, is having a deep understanding of your customers’ motivations and behaviour.”

The importance of these interactions, and more specifically micro-interactions, challenges egaming brands, and those in other sectors, to consider an appropriate mindset for success. As part of that challenge, affiliates and operators also need to consider the composition of their teams and the skills needed to create moments that foster brand loyalty and motivate customers into becoming advocates.

Combining empathy, familiarity and consideration of potential scenarios, egaming brands and their marketing partners can address the UX needs of a customer base that they are uniquely equipped to satisfy. And, while CX and UX are often divided as pre-acquisition and post-acquisition focuses, we can see how vital the latter is to a customer’s overall brand experience and subsequent endorsement.

When assessing CX and potential pathways to success, we see a situation not uncommon in egaming or, more broadly, digital marketing: vast room for experimentation, collaboration and learning from other sectors. Affiliates and operators proficient at being simultaneously focused and flexible in their CX development will, in turn, provide customers and players with more rewarding, engaging brand experiences.

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We hope that you’ve enjoyed reading our contribution to the 2017 EGR Affiliate Report. Do you have any of your own tips for building a more collaborative process? How does big data inform your customer journey? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.