Mobile Developers Report Declining Effectiveness of Engagement Strategies
A recent survey commissioned by ZBD reveals that up to 80% of mobile game developers believe their engagement and retention strategies are losing effectiveness. The survey, which involved 195 industry leaders, found that 45% of respondents struggle to retain and engage players who spend money in their games. Additionally, 39% reported difficulties in personalizing experiences for various player segments. Many developers, specifically 74%, utilize lifecycle marketing tools such as push notifications and email campaigns, while the same percentage relies on community-driven engagement strategies. Furthermore, 71% of studios conduct live operations events and promotions to keep players engaged.
However, the survey indicates that numerous developers feel hindered by player expectations and behavior (40%), technical and infrastructure constraints (38%), and fears that innovation might negatively impact existing key performance indicators (37%). Looking to the future, developers see enhanced personalization as a significant opportunity, with 45% pointing to AI-driven targeting and segmentation tools as the most promising area for improvement. In-game rewards and loyalty systems follow closely at 43%, while 37% emphasize the need for stronger collaboration among product, monetization, and marketing teams.
Interest in rewards-based engagement is particularly notable, with 90% of respondents considering the implementation of in-game rewards systems, including real-money rewards. Among these, 31% are already testing such features, and 38% plan to roll them out in the future. Half of the surveyed studios aim to increase their spending on retention and re-engagement initiatives, while 42% expect their budgets to remain steady. Additionally, 82% of developers expressed confidence in their ability to meet retention and monetization goals.
Why it matters
John Wright, CEO of Turborilla, noted that mobile games cannot rely on purchasing growth indefinitely, as customer acquisition costs continue to rise. He emphasized that retention has become the 'new user acquisition' strategy, highlighting the importance of creating value for already acquired players. Wright stated, "The studios that win won’t be the ones with the biggest content calendars, but the ones that turn engagement, loyalty, and monetization into experiences players actively want to return to, time and time again."
Original source
PocketGamer.biz
