Erica Anderson is the VP of Marketing, iGaming & Income Access at the Paysafe Group. Income Access offers an award-winning affiliate marketing reporting solution that’s fully optimized for mobile-app tracking. Erica’s role includes a focus on developing the marketing strategy for the Income Access brand and for iGaming at Paysafe. Holding over a decade’s industry experience, she also oversees IA’s in-house affiliate management team and its suite of digital marketing services. She has kindly provided us with an insight into mobile app-tracking and its benefits…
The reality for the iGaming industry today is that it’s dominated by wagering on mobile devices. With on-the-go products like live and in-play betting now ubiquitous among sportsbooks, the need for operators to be fully optimized for mobile is without question. That same mobile-first approach needs to be brought to the back end as well, and how affiliate campaigns are tracked.
With Pew Research Center reporting that 85% of US adults now own a smart phone, the need for mobile app-tracking in the iGaming industry has become an essential requirement for affiliates. This is especially true with a growing market like the US, where multiple new states are becoming regulated every year.
To break down why mobile app-tracking is so important to affiliates growing in the US, we’ve enlisted the help of two experts from our affiliate network: Laisvė Mikone, Senior Account Manager at MediaTroopers, and Yoav Gal, Head of InApp at Sidelines.io.
Growing US Mobile Market for Affiliates
With so many potential American users on mobile, we’ve seen affiliates increasingly move to adopt more mobile-friendly strategies over the last few years. Earlier this year, we polled affiliates within our network to understand their motivations and what they’re looking to offer their users.
The results were clear, with half (51%) of affiliates offering users a mobile-optimised site, while 41% of affiliates had either mobile-optimised sites or mobile apps. When combined, the overwhelming majority (92%) of our affiliate network offered their users a mobile option. This trend has increased over the last few years. By comparison, in 2021, 87% of our affiliate network offered a mobile option, while 85% did in 2020.
When speaking with Mikone from MediaTroopers, she emphasized the mobile dominance in the US. “Over half of all casino and sportsbook bettors in the US prefer the convenience of gambling via their mobile devices over their desktops,” she said. “And many of them are also gambling exclusively using this method.”
Why Affiliates Need Mobile App-Tracking in the US
US affiliates with access to mobile app-tracking from operators can further optimise their marketing strategies, which will lead to better results for both affiliates and operators. While Gal stopped short of saying that Sidelines.io wouldn’t work with brands who don’t offer mobile-app tracking, he admitted that “although we do work with some valued partners that don’t have a good enough mobile app-tracking solution, we tend to work better and more efficiently with those who do.”
This increased ability to optimise mobile campaigns is vital for affiliates, as there’s rising competition in the US, with new states going live regularly, meaning every piece of information is important and can lead to improved conversions. Mikone pointed this out, stating, “Effectively ‘listening’ to the data it gives us is vital, particularly now with more modern mobile options available in the US.”
She added, “These new mobile betting habits and gambling on apps will be different from those on traditional desktop devices. Therefore, mobile app-tracking solutions enable us to learn something new every day and convert our knowledge into practical solutions.”
Despite its importance, not all brands in the US offer mobile app-tracking to affiliates. As Gal noted, “I am surprised to see some of the industry’s giants are still lacking some basic capabilities that their peers from across the ocean have already embraced.” He added, “Additionally, those in the US who have adopted this approach early are currently enjoying a competitive advantage.”
While it’s not ideal that mobile app-tracking hasn’t been fully adopted in the US, it’s important to understand that it’s an emerging market that will take some time to mature. However, when mobile app-tracking is available to affiliates, they can glean a wealth of data around this expanding audience.
“With each state responsible for enacting its own gambling regulations, many users visit neighboring states to wager using their mobile devices,” said Mikone. “Ultimately, mobile app tracking is an effective method of understanding new gambling markets, reaching new audience pools, and enabling legal online gambling not only for state residents, but also for visitors to the states where gambling is legal.”
Key Takeaways
Though it hasn’t been fully adopted yet by US operators, for affiliates to efficiently convert new users, mobile app-tracking is essential. As affiliates and brands attempt to connect with this growing audience, having a mobile app-tracking solution allows affiliates to effectively optimise their campaigns, learn about their audience and send brands valuable users.
