Q&A: Rank Group on bingo cross-sell challenges between retail and online
In the final of a two-part series, Rank Interactive’s bingo brands revenue director Anthony Conroy and Rank Group’s national operations director John Dyson share their insights on how Covid-19 lockdowns have spurred a new tech savvy customer looking for an immersive entertainment experience
As Rank Group’s bingo venues reopened this month, EGR Intel talks to Anthony Conroy, bingo brands revenue director at Rank Interactive, and John Dyson, national operations director at Rank Group, to find out how the vertical has fared during the pandemic as well as the effect of Covid-19 lockdowns on its retail offering.
EGR Intel: What emerging trends will we see in online bingo over the next five years?
Anthony Conroy (AC): Right now I think there are two big trends emerging which have grown mainly from the situation in the past 12 months – TV-style entertainment and new products. As I’ve said already, from the start of the first lockdown we saw a new breed of online bingo player surfacing. These players tended to be younger and more tech savvy and as such demanded a more immersive, mobile-first entertainment experience.
As we had been running Mecca TV with our “Mecca Dream Come True” campaign from September 2019, we were well placed to expand that offering to multiple campaigns spread over several nights each week. We launched Catch the Cash and Live from Studio M; two-hour shows with celebrity guests and interviews and live player phone calls each night where they could win up to £10,000 live in the room. We also completed work on Mecca TV within the VF bingo lobby so customers could enjoy the show while still playing and chatting. Many of the larger brands are now offering similar shows with quizzes, singers and live entertainment across their sites and social media and I’d expect that to continue for the next one to two years.
Product diversity is also becoming more of a focal point following years of wallpaper bingo and slots products offered by the same suppliers across various operators. Bingo brands are looking at how they can offer their players something unique to help them stand out in a crowded marketplace beyond the usual exclusive slot title releases. As part of our Mecca 60th birthday celebrations we’re currently working on two new key products which will launch this summer that will not only complement our new Raffle product but will be something totally new to bingo. These new products will allow us to expand our reach beyond traditional bingo and slots play and enable a much fuller cross-sell experience.
EGR Intel: How do you think technologies such as AI, VR, machine learning could impact the online bingo product?
AC: A small number of the biggest brands in gaming are already using sophisticated AI and machine learning to maximise player revenues. You can see the improvements made by key players like bet365 where next best action decisioning has been tested and refined time and time again over the last five or more years and the rest of the industry are now starting to pay attention. At every conference I’ve attended in the past 10 years much of the focus was on “big data” but compared to almost all other online retailers, gaming has lagged far behind. With the review of the Gambling Act 2005 on the horizon, companies will be looking at how they gain full share of wallet from existing, smaller players, to fill the gap left behind by restrictions.
On the VR side I’m still somewhat unconvinced that there’s a product with the potential to be immersive enough to change people’s play style within bingo but it does seem well suited to live casino and we should see more companies offering that in the future.
John Dyson, national operations director for Rank Group, has worked for the Mecca Bingo brand for over 20 years. Here he shares his views on how the bingo sector has transformed over the years and how retail bingo venues can bounce back after the Covid-19 pandemic
EGR Intel: What’s been the biggest change you’ve seen in the bingo world during your time with Mecca?
John Dyson (JD): There have been a number of significant changes in the bingo world in my time which totals 24 years with Mecca. First there have been some seismic external events, such as the smoking ban and the current pandemic, which have forced us to think really hard about how we do business. Second, but perhaps more important in the long run, is the change in customer expectations over time. Less obvious when you are in the moment of day-to-day trading; but customers’ needs and wants have evolved significantly across the last 20 years or so and they continue to change. There are so many options for people to spend their time and money on that if you don’t stay relevant you go backwards. So, we now have a lot of younger customers in Mecca and we are working hard to further develop this opportunity.
EGR Intel: Do you feel the land-based bingo market has the appeal to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic?
JD: Absolutely! If the market has the willpower and energy to change the offer to meet the needs of new customers, without abandoning the loyal core base, then anything is possible. That does require change, experimentation and an ability to learn to make it happen. Bingo is an amazing game with the support of a vibrant community; we just need to deliver it in a fun, engaging and relevant way to attract more people to play.
EGR Intel: How important is the cross-sell between land-based bingo and online bingo in maintaining the appeal and revenue generation of the land-based bingo segment?
JD: It’s an opportunity that is there to be taken so yes, it’s really important. How we can leverage the online part of the business to improve the venues-based customer experience is as important as supporting online uptake by venues customers. From their perspective, they just see the brand; they don’t really care about the channel. Making it a seamless experience for a customer will add value all by itself.
EGR Intel: How does Mecca work to encourage responsible gambling in its land-based bingo operations?
JD: I can honestly say that Mecca as a brand works really hard to look after its customers; both in venues and online. Safer gambling is built into our team objectives as a core priority and we have a system of checks and balances to ensure we have a consistent view of customer behaviour over time. We have clear processes to allow us to intervene where needed. The end objective is to ensure we have customers in a long-term sustainable relationship with Mecca who experience our products safely.
The Mecca team have also spent considerable and effort in delivering tens of thousands of meals to those in need during the pandemic as well as keeping in touch with customers and supporting wider charity and community initiatives. Last Christmas alone we raised £185,000 to create 3,800 hampers for those in need during the festive period – we worked with 56 charities to make this happen. This reflects the Mecca emphasis on looking after our customers and communities; and safer gambling is an essential part of that for us.