Our work speaks for itself.Jackpots Concept Testing - Digging deeper to uncover risks to customer trust
The Background
The gambling industry is highly competitive and brand loyalty is low. Companies need to evolve to compete.
A major gambling company was looking to introduce a new jackpots concept, inspired by competitors.
Stakeholders needed to understand how the concept resonated
with customers.
The Set-Up
The research questions seemed simple enough:
“Do customers understand the jackpots concept?”
“Does the jackpots concept appeal to players?”
These questions informed the research methodology and recruitment requirements.
The Methodology
A mixed methods approach provided deep qualitative insight strengthened by quantitative data:
A concept testing survey provided a broad overview of sentiment towards the concept. (240 participants)
And in-depth interviews provided a deep exploration of, and sentiment towards, the concept. (11 participants in 1hr interviews)
The Research
The research was conducted in two phases, beginning with the survey.
The survey uncovered any pain points or questions players had. The interviews followed up on these, as well as digging deeper into participant understanding of the concept.
Low fidelity mock-ups helped illustrate each element of the concept for all research participants. The order of the mock-ups was randomised where possible to reduce bias from the learning effect.
The Insights
Initial results seemed positive. Both interview and survey participants were broadly positive about the concept, once they understood it. They particularly liked the perceived extra chance of winning.
But on closer inspection, major risks were uncovered.
Analysis revealed the potential to damage trust in the brands by creating poor outcomes for players and risking unsafe gambling behaviours.
Trust is hard won in the gambling industry, as was found in previous research, so any threat to it is a serious problem.
The Outcome
Highlighting the risks to the business forced stakeholders
to take notice and change their approach.
Looking beyond surface responses, drawing upon previous research and including psychological principles combined into a compelling narrative
that made stakeholders listen.
The result had major impacts across the business, reaching senior leaders. Because of the research, stakeholders took a step back and revised the concept, leaning heavily on further research to inform their decisions.
The Learnings
The Jackpots case study shows the power of storytelling and the importance of analysing research findings in the wider business context, not isolation.
Using a mixed methods approach and supporting with previous research adds depth and credibility to research insights.
Insights have more impact when focusing on risks and outcomes, rather than simply reporting facts.
Without this research highlighting the risk, the company could have launched an unsuitable concept that was highly likely to damage its reputation and cost money through lost revenue.
