Public Gaming November/December 2020

26 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 Marketplace trends are one of the most important components in developing a successful lottery business strategy that grows performance and protects vital funding for beneficiary programs. Understanding the trends and being ready to adapt and pivot becomes even more important in a year like 2020. Scientific Games’ Analytics & Insights team identifies and tracks ebbs and flows in the marketplace as they happen, while our Consumer Insights team conducts market research to better understand the why behind those ebbs and flows. This powerful combination of insights helps lotteries best prepare and plan their business. To close out the year – one filled with unpredictable twists and turns – we’re sharing some of the more significant take-aways of 2020 from our research and our research vendor partners. These insights, which are informing business decisions for 2021 and beyond, come from consumers and the retailers on the front line who deliver the lottery experience to players. Reach Consumers Digitally Given that consumers are so focused on getting in and out of stores as quickly as possible, it’s not as easy to capture their attention at the point-of-sale. Many if not most lottery players use online/mobile channels these days, which presents a critical opportunity to communicate with them outside of traditional lottery retail channels. Another strategy is to leverage the lottery’s players’ club to communicate. One of the benefits to being a club member is knowing immediately about any changes to programs, games, retailers, etc. Lotteries can deploy any number of tactics to experiment with optimal digital engagement in the club. Social media is also perfect for low-cost messaging to the masses. Social media usage is increasing across all platforms, which creates an opportunity for the lottery to keep those members up to date on new game launches, promotion dates, etc., as well as potentially reach less engaged players. When considering the role of digital in their overall marketing strategy,