The results indicate that when
consumers are deciding which online casino to use, the impact of brand equity
is invaluable. Consumer choose an online casino based on its trustworthiness,
brand image and brand awareness. For online casinos to be successful, they need
effective marketing strategies to gain brand equity to acquire customers.
Bigger brands such as Unibet, Betsafe and Betsson gained more recognition for
their slogans and were also among the most used online casinos.
Customers of online casinos tend
to use multiple websites, so it is clear, there is room for more efficient
loyalty programs, increased marketing efforts or any other improvements to
enhance brand equity. Building trust and reputation are factors that cannot be
overlooked. Online casinos should start to consider what other competitors are doing
right and what they are missing. Additionally, they should focus more on their
brand building by implementing marketing strategies which aim to increase their
trust and reputation.
When choosing an online casino for the first time, consumers look for trust, promotions and reputation. Primarily, as they spend their money and are not guaranteed of winning, the brand image has an increased value in terms of where they want to spend their money. Customer service was one the main reason consumers express brand loyalty in addition to marketing/promotions and trust and Emails and text messages seemed to be received by nearly every respondent of the survey. Social Media didn’t gain as much popularity as expected, but the rather small sample size must be taken into consideration as well as the age of the respondents. Affiliate marketing is a strategy that has been proven to be effective and online casinos should continue or start implementing it if they already haven’t. Online casino’s websites should be search engine optimized, as the results indicate that a large majority of the respondents use google or other search platforms to find new online casinos or information about them. Overall, marketing and various promotions are huge factor that affects consumers’ decision and usage of online casinos.
Online casinos need to realize
their business relies on loyal customers; therefore, customer advocacy should
be on their priority list. The results didn’t indicate much positive outcomes
on the impact of social media; however, the theoretical framework illustrates
its significance to brand equity. The lack of popularity in the results may,
however, demonstrate the fact online casinos are not implementing their social
media strategies sufficiently.
Building a community gives a
benefit of customers supporting the company and vice versa. It should be on a
platform where users feel comfortable sharing content with others and
communicating with others in any way. Blanchard believes social media platforms
should aim to add value in different levels to readers, followers, customers,
fans or prospects. Give them a reason to engage with the company and the
rewards will be reaped afterwards. Not only should the use social media be trained
but also the audience as well. Knowing what the audience is crucial to avoid alienating
or antagonizing them along the process.
