KIPEM+: The game changer for social interaction in igaming

For many players, interacting with other people is a core part of the overall gaming experience – a notion that is backed up by research released by Great Britain’s Gambling Commission earlier this year. According to the study, more than a third of those who gambled in the previous 12 months did so because, as they said, “it’s something that I do with my friends or family”.

It is therefore increasingly clear that igaming operators can ill afford to ignore the danger of losing the social factor in an ultra-competitive space in which it is vital to stand out from the crowd.

“The loss of the social experience in igaming can significantly impact the player experience,” Adolfsson explained. “In land-based casinos, the social interactions, the atmosphere and the camaraderie among players contribute to the overall enjoyment and excitement. When gaming moves online, these elements often get lost, leading to a more solitary experience.

“The social experience is important because it fosters a sense of community, enhances engagement, and provides emotional rewards through interactions with other players. We do not believe this is unique to gaming. Similar patterns of social interactions that enhance user retention exists in many industries.”

It is also noteworthy that social tools such as those offered by KIPEM+ can also play a crucial role in facilitating safer gambling by promoting responsible gaming practices and providing real-time support.

“KIPEM+ can help by integrating features that allow players to set limits, receive notifications about their gaming behaviour, and access resources for responsible gambling,” Adolfsson pointed out. “By fostering a supportive community, social tools can encourage players to gamble responsibly.”

Differentiators

Across various consumer-facing sectors, social channels are becoming vital differentiators in the digital landscape. This is helping to drive a sharp rise in so-called social commerce, when revenues are driven directly through social media – an approach that is expected to yield nearly $80bn (£62bn/€74bn) in sales this year in the US alone, up from $37bn just four years ago.

In the betting and gaming landscape, the scenario appears to be no different. Furthermore, given the rise of streaming and content services in betting and gaming – and the well-documented convergence of gambling and media platforms in recent years, igaming operators need to evolve beyond their established offering to ensure a comprehensive entertainment experience is available.

Adolfsson said: “As humans, we are social beings, and that is clear when you celebrate a win at a land-based casino, or a sports bet at the pub. With KIPEM+ you can create this atmosphere in your environment.”

Creating a ‘vibrant community’

KIPEM+ was developed after many years of experience in the igaming industry, recognizing the need for new products that could improve retention numbers and help drive down acquisition costs. The solution is a cutting-edge suite of social tools designed to integrate with existing online platforms using client-based APIs.

KIPEM+ offers features like personalised feeds, social profiles, posts, comments and chats that facilitate real-time interactions and provide channels for community-driven text, image and video-based content.

The feeds engage users via a dynamic content stream, presenting a continuous flow of relevant posts related to their interests and preferences, while the profiles serve as a central hub for customers to access customised content. Meanwhile the tailored social posts are designed to encourage users to share bets, casino games, predictions and other discussions with others.

According to Adolfsson, these features help to “create a vibrant community of users, fostering interaction, loyalty and extended play time” through a “cohesive social experience”.

Significant impact

In the experience economy, the impact of such a solution can help solve one of the operator’s biggest challenges – retention. On a basic level, such social tools reduce the likelihood of the user leaving for a social experience on another platform, boosting short-term engagement and gambling expenditure as a result.

Over time, such interactions can also drive customer loyalty and sustainable revenues in a space in which more than three-quarters of bettors would leave their current app of choice for an enhanced experience elsewhere, according to research.

“Social tools not only boost profitability for operators but also significantly improve the player’s experience,” Adolfsson said. “By providing a platform for social interactions, personalised content, and real-time feedback, social tools enhance the overall enjoyment and satisfaction of players.

“This leads to a more engaging and rewarding gaming experience. We help create a voice for the user, and together with other users they can share content and create a feeling of belonging.”

Creating a sense of belonging for player retention

This sense of belonging ultimately brings direct and quantifiable bottom-line benefits.

“Social tools like KIPEM+ can boost key operator metrics such as user engagement, retention rates and lifetime value,” Adolfsson added.

“By fostering a sense of community and encouraging real-time interactions, social tools can reduce the cost of acquisition through social sharing, enhance user engagement, and increase retention rates by offering something else for the user to do other than just placing another bet.”

The stakes are especially high among generation Z players, who are typically more fluid with their loyalty and, as is widely recognised, use more gambling apps than their older counterparts, as well as being more digitally savvy.

Adolfsson said: “The target demographic for a more social gaming experience typically includes younger adults who are accustomed to social interactions in their digital experiences.

“This demographic values community, real-time interactions and personalised content. By offering a social gaming experience, operators can attract and retain a larger part of the Generation Z market segment who are often harder to acquire.”

Taking gamification and personalisation further

KIPEM+ works alongside gamification and personalisation tools to enhance the overall user experience.

For instance, gamification elements like badges, leaderboards and achievements can be integrated with social features to create a more engaging and interactive platform. Meanwhile, the personalisation aspect works in tandem with the social offering, tailoring content to optimise engagement and interactive opportunities in line with the preferences and behaviours of individual users.

This customised offering is increasingly important across all sectors. According to a 2024 study of American consumers, for example, 84% said they prefer companies that offer a personalised experience. Additionally, previous research has identified a direct link between personalisation and monetisation, with a customisation strategy generating a typical revenue uplift of up to 25% for online direct-to-consumer brands.

The challenge, as always, is to scale such effective personalisation.

“We use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to both display the right content to the right user at the right time in search and feed as well as to moderate the content and community content to ensure the experience can stay in line with the operator’s view of communications,” Adolfsson said.

Furthermore, KIPEM+ advanced AI models are making relevant content discoverable via the suite’s search ranking algorithms, helping to remove the heavy lifting of a personalised approach for operators.

Making integration easy

Meanwhile, the integration process leaves the client firmly in control of their brand, as well as the customer experience and data. Operators can customise the user interface, use their icons, reactions and animated emoticons, and can also integrate promotions within social posts to boost engagement.

“KIPEM+ integrates seamlessly with existing platforms using web-friendly APIs,” Adolfsson said. “It is highly customisable, allowing operators to tailor the social experience to their specific needs.

“The data is stored in the cloud but belongs to the operator. Content is also available in our back-office system where the moderation is controlled.”

For users who embrace fully the social aspect of the KIPEM+ offering, it is clear that a community can be created to support users, as well as engage them, bringing a fruitful new dimension to the igaming experience.