Public Gaming International March/April 2021

44 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MARCH/APRIL 2021 Market sectors was a surprising aspect to this data analysis. Abacus have enabled points of sale in both the grocery and drug store sector. It was interesting to see the largest volume of sales was achieved through cash registers enabled in drug stores. e reason for this increase was basically twofold. e lottery in- vested in marketing the product in the drug store chains, with clear presentation of the game vouchers at the service counter. is push in marketing the games made it easier for the customers to pick up the tickets. Also, as 60% of traditional lottery retailers were closed, this shifted customers towards the essential stores that did remain open, and the lottery picked up otherwise lost sales. MARKETING IS KEY. Anyone who is in sales recognises the need for marketing their product so that the cus- tomer knows it is there. In-lane sales of lottery products are no di erent. As part of the shift towards diversi ed sales channels in Decem- ber, additional marketing was placed in store to inform customers that they could still buy lottery products in the run-up to the big draw date, even during a country-wide lock down. Retailers are already pushing towards the self- service checkout solution in store to lower cost and improve service. Although this process has been accelerated due to COVID-19, the trend for consumers to use mobile and online functionality had already gained traction pre- pandemic. is trend also makes an in-store self-service solution increasingly acceptable to consumers. Lottery in general needs a shift in its traditional way of thinking towards this new opportunity. Speci c marketing is needed to support this change in the lottery’s customer journey. e stores that actively marketed the in-lane product saw the largest increases in sales of any retailer connected to the Abacus system, with some stores seeing more than a 200% increase on the previous year. REMOVE THE LOAD. Another true test of a system is when the stress is removed, does it continue to perform under more normal conditions? As we move into 2021, the stresses of the pandemic and various lock downs are still in place, however, the attraction of a large draw has been removed from the equation. e ques- tion is, has this return to a normal day to day sale of tickets impacted the in-lane program? At Abacus we have seen more than a 50% increase of sales through the in- lane channel day on day through the month of Jan- uary as customers continue to utilise the convenience and opportunity that is o ered through the in-lane program. ese gures prove the statement that as the acceleration and rate of change in retail continues, consumers are unlikely to revert to their old habits, and we expect this trend to become exponential. WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? As the rate of change across the retail eco- system shows no sign of slowing, and the data bears out that it is unlikely to revert to its previous structure of reaching cus- tomers, businesses that rely on brick and mortar to sell their products must diversify to keep pace. Abacus continues to add more games, ser- vices and exibility to its platform. 2021 will see us open new markets and opportu- nities globally and continue to keep pace with the change we are all seeing not just in retail, but the global economy. Validation and redemption of both draw- based and instant tickets through the retail ecosystem is ready to be deployed. Our existing self-service estate will continue to grow to keep pace with retail demand in this sector. Digital sales and delivery of products is now part of the Abacus portfolio of products and services. With new styles of games and services through mobile game play. e Abacus road map for 2021 will certainly keep us very busy as we continue to roll out diversi ed o erings to the market. e question for operators and vendors alike is “can you a ord not to have a diversi ed program that will protect your business if another crisis looms?” Abacus started as an in-lane provider but is now so much more! n * For clarity, the charts and gures detailed in this article were over the month of December 2020 on the run up to the New Year's Eve draw. e days over the Christmas period have been removed as all retail outlets were closed and therefore do not give a realistic representation of the trends. Number of Stores %increase (2019 - 2020) National Retailer 1 943 145% National Retailer 2 1011 225% National Retailer 3 561 190% National Retailer 4 224 235%