Q&A: PKR CMO Magnus Olby
PKR CMO Magnus Olby on the challenges of recreating 3D gaming environments n mobile devices
People know PKR as an immersive, highly engaging poker experience. Â Translating this into native apps for portable devices did present us with great challenges, in particular mobile, but tablet to a lesser extent. People generally have less storage on their mobiles than on their tablets and as such, large apps tend to be the first thing that goes when your memory runs out and you canât use the camera anymore. With a âlightâ version of PKR being required, I think we have managed to create the most advanced and fun mobile/tablet poker app on the market, without compromising what makes PKR unique and keeping our players loyal. PokerStars has an edge with liquidity, but I couldnât be happier with PKRâs mobile product. Itâs miles ahead of the more generic offering from the big networks.
The most profitable player with us is the person who plays desktop and mobile. Only a small segment of the customer base is 100% mobile. However, the further east you go from the UK, the more people tend to be 100% mobile and the more they tend to be on Android rather than iOS. In Russia itâs 50% mobile versus desktop. And around 70% of these players are Android. In the UK, though, desktop and iOS dominates.
Mobile is used for both acquisition and retention. We are at heart a rich desktop experience with mobile versions to satisfy the demand of existing players, though mobile acquisition channels are a useful part of the mix. Also cannibalisation is not really an issue. The majority of our players still prefer the full-fat version best played through desktop, though the continuing improvements we make to multi-tabling on mobile devices, and the ability to communicate and cross sell more effectively through the apps, ensure we maximise the value for our mobile users.
Traditional poker isnât really a suitable format for smartphones, unlike tablets. The fast-fold format perhaps works better on a phone as do lottery-style poker games, but you generally play longer playing poker than casino or sports betting. Itâs the nature of the product. The poker market will continue to exist, although it is going to look slightly different and smaller to four or five years ago. Players are moving over to mobile and playing shorter sessions, so we are launching games more suitable for mobile devices and offering non-poker products.
The main target for the mobile and tablet app is to make it broader in its product offering. PKRâs poker product is in the companyâs DNA and why people come to PKR, but the future is an equal platform for all other products as well. Mobile players want to have more non-poker products, so our focus is to make the non-poker offering much more appetising and accessible regardless of device. It gives users less reason to go elsewhere to play these games. We want a PKR customer to access the casino app super quickly from the poker app and vice versa â thatâs not there now, but itâs the focus going forward.