By Damian Martinez, journalist at G&M News.
Now more than ever, games are about social experiences and the community surrounding the activity. In the wider cultural domain, consumers are showing a desire for moments of togetherness, which strengthen the social role of entertainment. The United States and Canadian lottery players under the age of 35 were three times more likely to play with friends than those over 35. Similarly, 72% of people, and 81% of Gen Z, believe that what makes an experience fun is the opportunity to share moments with others, according to a study by Vice Media Group.
Dialing up the social dimension of game play is an important possibility for tomorrow’s lottery experiences, pushing brands to change how, where and why the game is played. This fresh approach to socially activated engagement and multi-player formats will strive to promote community, inclusion and a sense of camaraderie for consumers.
SEARCHING FOR ENRICHING EXPERIENCES
Widespread digital adoption will push brand access and experience further, providing opportunities for lottery brands to move beyond the point of purchase towards a 360-degree relationship of participation, discovery and socialization. Consumers are increasingly looking to online spaces that provide a backdrop for self-exploration and fulfilment, moving beyond hyper-convenience towards experiences that are enriching end-to-end.
The potential of immersion connects us with brands in ways that were previously not possible. Part of it is just taking down the walls of accessibility, making it easy for groups to interact with brands on their own terms. The Metaverse, for example, has become the new digital frontier for all that is immersive, engaged and virtual, potentially changing how we see the world, as well as how we participate in it.
However, future lotteries could look at the Metaverse in terms of the “Betterverse”, an opportunity to build ethical virtual experiences based on the values of inclusivity and wellbeing. In other words, a space where global brands and organizations can build experiences that are welcoming, accessible and empowering for customers. This could lead to two future trends: the Phygital ticket and the Meta-players.
THE PHYGITAL TICKET
Layering technology into the purchasing journey, lottery brands are re-imagining physical retail encounters, employing technology to drive a better and safer experience. Lotteries are evolving to use new retail technologies.
The role of bricks-and-mortar shops is still important to people, but the integration of “phygital” (physical and digital) technologies will continue to be important in retail’s role in lotteries. This is largely because the fusion of physical and digital can introduce elements of play during the earlier phases of the purchasing journey.
Moreover, AR and VR technologies are already creating new possibilities for entertainment that respond to real-world environments, and in real time. In the future, these activations have the potential to affect the way players purchase tickets or interact with lottery brands in retail settings.
Such developments align with the evolving needs of consumers, many of whom seek hybrid interactions with brands, as revealed by a recent IBM survey of more than 19,000 respondents across 28 countries. The study found that 27% of consumers and 36% of Gen Z specifically use a blend of physical and digital channels in their customer journeys.
When designing the future, it’s important for brands in digital spaces to consider how consumers might want to stretch the perimeter of their current realities, versus escaping reality completely.
META-PLAYERS
Digital lottery innovation should also acknowledge the trends emerging from gaming and Web3 -a new phase of the Internet underpinned by Blockchain- to further engage with a consumer base whose identity, values and experiences stretch between the physical and digital worlds.
With more time spent working, playing and socializing online, how individuals present and identify in virtual realms is taking greater importance, as consumers place fewer distinctions beyond their online and offline selves. In light of this, lotteries could consider how they can participate in this virtual world by creating digital experiences beyond play.
Representation, diversity and equity in gaming design, that’s a really fascinating area: people are looking to how brands are tapping into emotions or enchantment to engage them. If they’re searching for ways to self-discover who they are, brands can help them enhance their own personal journeys or their own community journeys in all new ways.
Backing this up, Wunderman Thompson research indicates that the United Kingdom gamers assign nearly equal importance to their in-game appearance (61%) as their real-life appearance (65%). Similarly, a Voxburner survey of United States’ Gen Z individuals reveals that nearly two-thirds (65%) of this demographic have invested in virtual items within games.
NFTs AS ENGAGEMENT TOOLS
Avatars are evolving to cater for digital communities, offering assets that empower players to express themselves within the gaming experience. Beyond providing for players’ new forms of identity, brands could also look to utilize new systems, for example, making use of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which are tokens built on blockchain technology to incentivize consumer engagement through unique rewards, such as granting exclusive experiences.
While the NFT as a tradeable commodity in its own right has little relevance to lotteries, it is the underlying technology that underpins NFTs that offers the opportunity for brands to build better links with their consumers. NFTs are now being retrofitted as a means of mass engagement for brands, but it is crucial to settle on the right applications for tokenization.
These tokens can lay the foundation for loyalty networks involving independent retailers, for example, within specific regions and locations. Taking this further, tokens could simplify customer verification or unlock special experiences. There are challenges with NFT technology, such as energy consumption and sustainability, that need to be navigated. Brands should be mindful that the use of NFTs must be responsible and limited, in order to drive better communication with their customers.