Overview
William Hill, a prominent online casino operator, sought to optimise the performance of its mobile apps to enhance user engagement, drive deposits, and boost betting activity. Despite an existing analytics framework, William Hill faced significant challenges in:
- Effectively measuring onboarding, retention, and revenue generation metrics specific to casino experiences.
- Prioritising development based on insights into betting behaviours.
- Personalising the casino experience to better meet user preferences.
To address these needs, William Hill engaged Swayven Digital to establish a robust data strategy tailored to the unique requirements of an online casino.
Phase 1 - Establishing a Reliable Data Foundation
Our collaboration began with a detailed technical audit of William Hill’s existing data infrastructure. Key issues identified included:
- Inconsistent tracking across channels: Relying on cookies resulted in inconsistent data between web and app, impacting the ability to analyse player behaviour accurately.
- Gaps in tracking critical interactions: Key actions like deposit initiations, bet placements, and withdrawal requests were not consistently tracked, limiting insights into user engagement and revenue drivers.
- Insufficient user context: Limited collection of demographic and behavioural data hindered the ability to perform meaningful segmentation and cohort analysis.
To address these gaps, we overhauled the event tracking schema to capture crucial casino-specific interactions. We transitioned from cookie-based tracking to user-agent string detection, enabling more precise tracking between web and mobile experiences.
Additionally, we introduced contextual user attributes, such as player tier, preferred game type, and betting frequency, to provide deeper insights into player behaviours. Our engineers worked closely with William Hill’s development team to ensure seamless implementation of the new data structure.
Phase 2 - Turning Data into Insights
Following the data foundation setup, we moved to reporting and analysis. Our team built custom dashboards that highlighted KPIs specific to an online casino, such as:
- Player retention: Analysis of the player lifecycle helped identify patterns that could predict churn, allowing William Hill to intervene proactively.
- Deposit and withdrawal insights: We provided insights into user deposit patterns, withdrawal frequencies, and the relationship between deposits and betting activity, which informed targeted promotions.
- Betting behaviour analysis: By tracking bet sizes, win/loss ratios, and preferred game types, we identified trends that helped refine both user acquisition and engagement strategies.
Monthly performance reports allowed William Hill’s teams to monitor trends and evaluate the success of new features, promotions, and app updates. Predictive analytics models were also introduced to forecast key metrics like player lifetime value (LTV) and betting frequency, supporting more effective marketing and player engagement campaigns.
Phase 3 - Enhancing the Casino Experience
With a more detailed view of player behaviours, we worked with William Hill to implement game design optimisation strategies focused on:
- User experience enhancements: Leveraging data on navigation patterns and betting habits, we refined the app’s layout and user interface to minimise friction, making it easier for players to find their preferred games and initiate bets.
- Player progression: By analysing player activity over time, we introduced features that aligned with betting behaviours and deposit patterns, helping users move seamlessly from onboarding to regular betting activity.
- Feature prioritisation: Data insights on feature engagement helped us identify the most popular games and features, guiding William Hill in allocating resources to improve and expand the games that resonated most with their audience.
Phase 4 - Sustaining Engagement Through Real-Time Promotions
To maximise player retention and monetisation, we collaborated on a LiveOps strategy roadmap that included a calendar of in-app promotions, events, and deposit incentives tailored to user segments. Key strategies included:
- Real-time promotion adjustments: We set up real-time event management tools, allowing William Hill to adjust promotions, such as deposit bonuses or free spins, based on live player data and behaviour.
- Segmented rewards and offers: Using behavioural data, we personalised rewards and offers for specific player segments. High-frequency bettors received exclusive deposit matches, while casual players were targeted with smaller incentives to encourage higher engagement.
- Event-based monetisation: Integrating real-time betting and deposit data allowed us to optimise in-app events that encouraged betting during peak times, leveraging players’ existing habits and preferences.
Results & Long-Term Impact
The collaboration with Swayven Digital produced tangible improvements in William Hill’s mobile app performance:
- 16% increase in user retention: Enhanced player experiences and targeted promotions resulted in a noticeable uplift in retention.
- 34% increase in deposit activity: Personalised deposit incentives and betting-related promotions led to more frequent deposits and higher player lifetime value.
- Empowered data culture: William Hill’s teams became proficient in using data to inform their strategies, driving a culture of continuous improvement.
Through a focused approach to data engineering, real-time analytics, predictive insights, and LiveOps optimisation, Swayven Digital helped William Hill transform their analytics approach, boosting engagement, deposits, and betting activity to deliver sustainable growth and profitability in the competitive online casino market.
Thank you for taking the time to read our case study. If you’d like to learn more about our services and how we could assist you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
Stay tuned for more insights, and until next time, keep optimising.
