Olga Levshina: How tailored iGaming content helps online casinos stand out

In a world where personalization has become the norm across all industries, the iGaming sector is no exception. The market is oversaturated with content giving players countless gaming options, and every business strives to stand out from the crowd and increase the LTV of each player.

Unlike 2020, when casinos were able to gain new audiences organically because demand had risen, in 2023 operators must be strategic about attracting and retaining customers.

Personalizing gaming experiences is emerging as a driving force in the iGaming industry, offering unique journeys to players and giving operators a competitive edge. Let’s delve deep into how businesses engage players through topical means of personalization, why game customization plays a pivotal role in player retention, and how online casinos can take maximum advantage of it.

Embracing the era of all-inclusive personalization

Online casinos have shifted their focus from just launching games to engaging players for better financial performance. They're now emphasizing building lasting relationships, enhancing brand loyalty, and attracting and retaining audiences. Personalization is key in this transformation.

For instance, personalized lobbies are gaining popularity, offering tailored game suggestions, easy access to favorite games, and showcasing player achievements, levels, and in-game currency. Gamification is also on the rise, with features like jackpots, tournaments, and challenges fostering competition and engagement. These tools allow players to customize their gameplay to a greater extent.

Additionally, artificial intelligence (AI) is pivotal in this evolution. AI analyzes player data to understand interests and playing styles, aligning games with user preferences. Predictive analytics help optimize promotional activities, offering tailored bonuses and incentives based on historical data and user behavior.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. iGaming businesses are leaning over backward to achieve heightened player retention and session length by continuously sophisticating personalized ecosystems; game customization is among the ways.

Game customization: yea or nay

We at BGaming recognize the demand for customized iGaming content in an era where people get tired of scrolling through endless options and seek unique experiences. Crafting exclusive titles for operators or tailoring games to match a casino's identity enhances player engagement and loyalty.

Personalized content strengthens the player-casino connection, fostering trust and long-term commitment. Thus, having custom games in the operator’s portfolio is a great way to give players exactly what they want and promote online casino brands since these titles are exclusive to the platform.

However, the costs associated with creating tailor-made content are relatively high now, demanding considerable resources and distracting them from main releases. This is still a challenge for providers when making a deeply customized game that should perform to its utmost potential and bring an operator expected business outcomes. So, most exclusive games on the market now are basic with just changed logos and color pallets.

It is also crucial to understand that just creating a customized game is not enough. The returns from investing in game customization can far outweigh the initial expenses only with the right strategy of game development and promo activities.

Customization that works is far more than changing logos

To produce a customized game that works for all parties, it needs a synergy of providers and operators. Successful customization involves recognizing players’ needs and desires and detecting the parameters that fit the operator’s audience perfectly.

Accomplishing a profound level of customization requires a significant data collection and analysis. For instance, in BGaming, we study players' behaviors, preferences, age groups, locales, and playing patterns that enable data-driven decisions and help us create a more relevant gaming experience that resonates the most with casino-registered players.

As operators know their audiences like no other, the game production should be in close collaboration with operators from its very start. It ensures that every game aspect is aligned with the online casino brand and vision.

Still, creating customized content is half the battle. The true power of game customization is realized when operators invest not only in tailored gaming experiences but also strategically integrate them into their promotional activities.

BGaming and one of the leading iGaming operators Blaze Casino's success story of game customization proves this hypothesis. After developing 5 custom and branded titles following a comprehensive approach, games showed 30-80% growth for mission-critical KPIs, such as GGR, player retention, bets count, average bet, and others. The top-performer game solely heightened GGR by 4 times, while the fifth custom game without branding words or elements didn’t demonstrate such stellar performance as ones of previous titles.

And it was the timely operator’s promo contribution that made success happen. By crafting exclusive promotions and tying them to special occasions, holidays, or other fruitful periods, operators can leverage customization to engage players on a deeper level. These efforts demonstrate that game customization is not an unjustified investment but a thoughtful and effective way to connect with players.

Wrapping up

The journey of game customization is marked by challenges and opportunities alike. As the iGaming industry navigates this landscape, it is clear that personalization and customization aren’t just extras – they are strategic imperatives. By introducing individual preferences into the gaming experience and leveraging customization within promotions, operators stand to forge more profound and lasting connections with players.

Shortly, the art of customization is not just about changing logos; it's about crafting a narrative that resonates, engages, and ultimately propels iGaming businesses to be one step ahead of the competition.

Image credit: Casino Guru News