Player engagement directly affects operator revenue. SOFTSWISS, a technology software provider with over 15 years of experience in iGaming, shares expert tips for effective player retention through email marketing.

The Player Retention Team, a part of SOFTSWISS Managed Services, focuses on increasing engagement via email marketing to boost player lifetime value and profit growth. The effectiveness of email marketing hinges on key metrics such as open rate, click-through, conversion rate, and unsubscription rate. The team employs the strategies below to optimise these metrics and enhance overall campaign performance.

Personalisation and Сontent Diversity

Personalising emails by addressing recipients by their names, asking relevant questions, and offering appealing deals enhances the sender’s credibility and increases engagement in future campaigns.

Robust behavioural and geographic segmentation is key to increasing the open rate. The average email open rate at SOFTSWISS is 20–40%, depending on the topic and email type. Across the market, a good open rate averages between 17–28%. 

Another crucial point is email content diversity, especially in automated journeys and repetitive broadcasts. Eye-catching subject lines, for instance, are the most important to initiate communication with players.

Animated banners, captivating subject lines, and motivating preheaders engage readers fully with the email. The click rate at SOFTSWISS is around 2.5%, higher than the industry average. 

Email Presentation

The essential components of email appearance which positively impact the distribution are the following:

• Attractive email design and layout
• User-friendly formatting, mobile-adaptation
• Punctuation and grammar accuracy
• Relevant “call to action”

The sender’s reputation, clean player database, and relevant and accurately picked subject lines highly affect email marketing efficiency. Considering the aspects above, SOFTSWISS experts maintain an average unsubscription rate of around 0.1%, which is 2.5 times lower than the average in the industry. 

Mobile Compatibility

Since about 85% of smartphone owners use their devices to access email, formatting for mobile is essential. Research indicates that if an email is not mobile-friendly, there is a 70% likelihood it will be deleted within just three seconds. This could significantly reduce the chances of recipients opening future emails from the brand, potentially leading to unsubscribes from the distribution list.

GDPR Compliance 

Non-compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) results in charges, fines, and a damaged brand reputation. When it comes to online casinos, licence regulations layer onto the basic ones. SOFTSWISS has its in-house GDPR Team that helps its Retention Team be proactive in terms of any changes in rules and regulations, and it provides audits for all customer communications.

Serge Barsukov, Player Retention Team Lead, summarises: “Relevant content and respectful, ethical communication in line with the core responsible gaming principles is the basis for effective player retention.  What is also important in this process is using additional channels such as in-app notifications and gamification. Adding gamification elements to the basic communication enhances new and existing players’ engagement by seamlessly integrating informative content with game-like elements, facilitating easier comprehension and retention.”

About SOFTSWISS 

SOFTSWISS is an international tech company supplying software solutions for managing iGaming projects. The expert team, which counts over 2,000 employees, is based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides one-stop-shop iGaming software solutions. The company has a vast product portfolio, including the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with thousands of casino games, the Affilka affiliate platform, the Sportsbook Platform and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS was the first in the world to introduce a Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution.