A leading ID credentials authentication company, Jumio and Harris, have recently conducted a survey investigating player abandonment, primarily focusing on mobile casino players. They found that, while mobile registration has far from slowed at online casinos, there was evidence of high player abandonment after relatively short periods of time- with over a 1/4 of all consumers in the UK even ending before the sign-up process was complete.
But why are people not signing up and, of those who do, why do they not tend to stay long?
Effects of the Mobile Casino Revolution
While just over a decade or so ago we would have been happy to fill out lengthy forms online, throwing ourselves to the mercy of dial-up internet, everything has changed with the mobile revolution. More casino players than ever play on the move and want things to happen as close to instantly as possible. Our smartphones have become all we need in some instances- they keep us in touch with loved ones, allow us to work from wherever we are, advise us of everything from weather to bus times, give us one-stop access to the web, plan our journeys, even let us pay for everyday products and services, and are many of our main sources of entertainment.
 Why Does Player Abandonment Happen?
Jumio and Harris ascertained through their study that casino players are abandoning mobile casinos faster than ever, or, at least, abandoning some and signing up elsewhere instead. Unfortunately, their study only really looks at the facts- with the starkest one of all explaining that, in the UK alone, player abandonment costs UK gaming companies in excess of £39million, it didn’t venture so far as to explain why.
Purely based on speculation and previous experience, if players are abandoning casinos during the sign up process that has to explain something- perhaps the sign up forms are too lengthy at some casinos? Too tricky to negotiate from a mobile casino layout? Clearly, the forms have to be a certain length and contain particular information in order to comply with regulations and to attempt to avoid potential fraud, but perhaps casinos need to take a long, hard look at how their mobile casino registration process stacks up against their competitors.
Casinos who seek to optimise their sites for use on mobile are moving in the right direction- making their sites compatible with a number of different mobile devices. Anything that can be done to minimise loading times and make using the site as simple as possible should be an absolute priority for all casinos looking to grab a slice of the mobile casino pie.
What More Can you Expect from Mobile Casino?
Of course, operators will also be aware that, while there is plenty they can do to make the experience of mobile casino play better for players- and this will, in turn, reduce the figures of player abandonment they suffer, much of this is all just a sign of the times. On mobile, you want things to happen quickly and efficiently, if they don’t, there’s nothing stopping you going elsewhere, especially when generous welcome bonuses are on offer. CRM company, Optimove, suggest that 1 in every 4 players will move on within 14 days of making their first deposit at a casino. There’s just so much choice out there, everything is so easy, casinos need to really up their game if they want to hook in new players and, more importantly, keep them.