The Age Of The Retail Lottery Store Is Over?
As the owner of a thriving lottery retail outlet, there must be a constant urge to expand your business in keeping with the current era of demands. While those around you seem to be growing online, the ever-increasing concern about striking the perfect balance between your brick-and-mortar store and an online gaming channel is perplexing.
Should you completely shift your business into the online operations space?
After the pandemic hit, the need for a digital presence was increasingly felt by all the sectors present in our economic structure. However, with people highly turning to the online entertainment arena, when the world stood still. This sector boomed. Those gaming platforms that failed to make the shift could not benefit from this shift in consumer interests. This highly necessitates the adoption of newer technologies in your lottery business offerings.
Yet, the question persists. Would a complete shift to the online space be beneficial to your business?
According to Jennifer Westbury, Executive Vice President, Sales & Customer Development at Pollard Banknote, “It is critical to maintaining the lottery's retail network, central to all operations.” Since lottery retail is still the gateway to the product for the majority of the people. She instead recommends - “increase your online presence and still continue to grow brick-and-mortar sales.”
Hence, we say, while giving your lottery business the support of an online outlet is highly recommended, we would never urge you to completely remove your physical footprint. In the current era of hybrid operations, it is ideal to take your business Omnichannel. Ensuring a seamless experience for your customers provides your business with a competitive edge and helps you attract customers from all player segments.
Here is how to leverage your business by complementing your offline retail offerings with the added edge of digital:
- Begin with complementing existing lottery tickets with digital game enhancement.
- Provide codes, offers, second chances that are redeemable online.
- Let customers pick their lucky numbers on their phone, even when they come to the physical store, and let them scan the QR code at the till.
- Start digitally tracking your players and send them offer codes, promotion mailers, etc.
- Offer a customized cross-channel journey, whether playing online or offline.
- You may develop a suite of digital engagement products and provide customized online offers that are redeemable online.
It is highly crucial to innovate in terms of upgrading your offerings to bridge the gap between online and your brick-and-mortar store. However, it is suggested that you keep your retail front central to the player journey and plan the whole process so that the experience begins and ends at the retail. The in-store customer care experience will remain a more privatized and preferred approach. Yet, with the technological evolution seeking to enhance the personalization of the customer experience, it is ideal to merge the two would prove to be highly beneficial for your business.