Yiannis Gangas, CPO of Vermantia, outline the vision of the betting shop of the future at SBC News.
“In an increasingly digitised world, engaging customers with exciting content and a tailored user experience on familiar cashless devices has never been more important. Retail is no exception.
“We believe that blending the speed and efficiency of futuristic cashless SSBTs with the thrill of action-packed live sports and racing content is key to the future of retail betting. A new generation of customer wants their user experience to be as interactive, exciting and frictionless as possible, and a digital environment is central to that.
“We’ve already seen the automated, ‘staff-less’ concept take off in other retail sectors, and there’s no reason why it can’t offer a convenient and enjoyable betting experience for tech-savvy punters.
“However, I do not expect to see a staff-less betting environment across operators’ entire retail estates anytime soon. An intermediate shop with ‘less-staff’ is far more likely, with today’s betting experience needing to maintain a combination of both tech and human touch.
“For many, the social interaction that comes with betting is also a key part of their enjoyment, and to remove it entirely would mean eliminating a big part of the customer demographic.
“The technology is already there to remodel the retail customer journey as we know it, and we’re already seeing it deployed. Designed to offer a digital experience that presents the latest content, odds, data and betting promotions, operators now have the complete toolset required to deliver the betting shop of the future, covering both ‘staff-less’ and ‘less staff’ concepts.
“The new era of retail is all about omni-channel and delivering a bespoke service to suit each betting environment. Our mission is to focus on bringing the best of digital into the retail space while catering to a diverse spectrum of customer preferences.
“Everything from our powerful content management systems to live betting channels and cashless SSBTs are designed to attract a broader range of customers to operators’ shops than ever before.”
