UK businesses have 1 minute to engage consumers this World Cup
New research from UserTesting, a provider of customer insights for the enterprise, shows engagement this World Cup season will be driven by second screen activity, with retailers, gaming companies, and betting firms the biggest winners. But high traffic also means high friction, as consumers cite failed transactions as a core reason businesses lose immediate revenue as well as long-term brand engagement.
Retail, gaming, and betting industries should be prepared for high consumer engagement this summer. With the rise of ‘TikTok brain’ – i.e. shorter attention spans driven by high-dopamine, quick-hit content – consumers are engaging in second screen activity (scrolling on mobiles or laptops as well as live streaming matches on the TV). Consumers state their top second screen activities as:
- Ordering food or using food delivery apps (41%)
- Betting (36%)
- Using fantasy sports and sports apps (20%)
- Shopping for e.g. clothes (18%)
But high traffic is where peak friction points and technical issues can arise.
Almost 70% (69%) of consumers have experienced frictions or failures while watching live sports, and one in four have struggled specifically with making purchases or checking out while watching live sport. The top two issues cited were ‘engagement’ (consumers pulled back into the game at the point of purchase, indicating businesses are failing to maintain engagement at high-intent moments), and technical, such as an app or website crash.
Forty-seven percent of consumers abandoned their task as a result of the friction they experienced, which could be losing businesses almost half of immediate revenue. When asked how long it took to abandon their task, a quarter of all respondents said it took less than one minute, while 53% said less than five minutes. Nearly half (47%) of consumers also said they would not return to a brand they had the bad experience with again, demonstrating how important it is for businesses to deliver frictionless experiences first time.
It’s the frequent, small transactions that are causing this drop in engagement: when asked how much they were planning to spend before they abandoned their task, 45% answered up to £100. Nearly one in three (30%) said between £1-£50.
This year’s season will be based in the US. UserTesting also asked if respondents would stay up to watch live matches between 12:00am-06:00 BST: 59% said they would, 34% said they would watch on catch up, and 7% said they would view the scores only.
Bobby Meixner, Vice President of Solution Marketing at UserTesting says: “With just a minute to engage consumers, businesses need to be laser focused on delivering best-in-class experiences this summer. While second screen activity offers brands a low cost, and potentially high revenue opportunity, businesses must get their back office tech in order to optimise the service they deliver, to make it quick and easy for consumers to buy what they want, fast.”
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