LONDON – TECH- Firms have recently stumbled upon a business strategy quite unlike anything else that has come before, and online casinos have taken pole position with regards reaping the benefits. Hot on the heels of the news that messaging service WhatsApp has agreed to make its service free for all users – potentially indefinitely – we take a look at a number of other firms who have adopted a policy of establishing a huge, loyal customer base over quick profits courtesy of selling advertising space.
A spokesman for WhatsApp has suggested that the company have struggled to capture a paying audience for their services in developing countries, as a result of these users simply not having access to a credit or debit card with which to charge them.
However, WhatsApp have also noticed that the speed at which it can expand its market base is directly related to maintaining its status as a free service, and when weighed up against a subscription fee – as little as 99 cents per year – the benefits of keeping it free to a mass audience are obvious.
Its parent company, Facebook, have also promised to never charge for their services, although given the complexity and running costs of such a massive endeavour, they have compromised slightly and now sell advertising space to a whole range of companies, both large and small.
Given the huge customer base and obvious, conventional opportunities for mass marketing opportunities on the social networking site, it is hardly surprising that Facebook has chosen to seek advertising revenue over a subscription fee. Not only is this is a compromise that users are seemingly happy to put up with in exchange for the range of benefits on offer (or perhaps the pressure of not being part of the crowd), but that announcement from Mark Zuckerberg in 2015 certainly seemed to appease his one billion or so customers.
Another burgeoning industry, hot on the heels of social media – that of online gambling – the Canadian Lucky Nugget Casino has also decided to give plenty back to its customers in the form of refusing to sell advertising space and instead offering them a wide range of free bonuses and generous pay-outs.
As well as sign-up bonuses to the tune of $1,000 and a Club Point system that sees loyal users rewarded by way of free casino credit, the Canadian Lucky Nugget Casino are also picking up the tab for installing the best online security and the licenses to cover a wide range of online casino games, including slots, table games and roulette. Instead they just pass on a fantastic gaming experience to their users – something for which they are now being well rewarded, standing as they do as one of the leading online betting firms in the world.
Make sure that you get onto this trend early by taking advantage of all these great services for no charge whatsoever, so whether you’re talking about social media, online betting, watching video clips – or simply just talking – the business model has changed forever. It’s a consumers’ market, and the time to embrace it is now.
