Were you aware that the revenue generated by video gaming exceeds the combined earnings of movies and music? PwC anticipates it to surpass $300 billion by 2026, excluding eSports.
The gaming industry is indeed the big league.
But it isn’t enough to keep releasing better and bigger games. The growth of game brands also depends on successfully marketing to the right people. Tailoring the promotional content for different gamer personas and making purchases, upgrades, and streaming easy will help brands explode in the hyper-competitive gaming landscape.
This blog focuses on an innovative marketing strategy that can help game creators/owners level up – Inbox Commerce. It discusses what Inbox Commerce is and how it supercharges marketing in the gaming industry.
What is Inbox Commerce?
Inbox Commerce involves innovative marketing of products and services, engaging with customers, and facilitating transactions directly within RCS, WhatsApp, and AMP-powered emails.
This strategy emphasizes streamlining the customer experience, aiming to make interactions with brands more convenient. It allows them to make purchases or access services effortlessly without being redirected to external sites or apps. Users can also take advantage of various features from the inbox itself, such as completing forms, redeeming discounts, leaving reviews, and more.
In essence, messages enhanced with Inbox Commerce empower users to experience functions similar to those found on websites or apps without the need to visit them.
The effectiveness of Inbox Commerce is rooted in three key technologies: RCS (Rich Communication Services), WhatsApp Business, and AMP for email. Together, they constitute the cornerstone of Inbox Commerce and have evolved into the most influential technological combination for unconventional marketing and conversion strategies.
Here are a few proven use cases on how gaming brands can expand with Inbox Commerce:
Announce upcoming releases and enable pre-orders on WhatsApp
Got a new game release on the cards? Use WhatsApp to notify users. Feel free to include high-res cutscenes, images, and game design elements to get people’s attention.
Recipients can watch the trailer, scroll through details, and even pre-order or sign up for early access to the game. If either option comes with an offer (say, 10% off the final price), they can redeem it within the WhatsApp message.
Invite members to join streams via AMP emails
Streaming platforms like Twitch can notify the members following a particular streamer every time they start a new stream. They can join the stream directly from within the email or show appreciation by interacting via chat.
Fan the flames of console wars and gear debates on RCS
Xbox vs. PlayStation vs. PC is World War III for gamers. Brands can encourage their audience to declare allegiance to their chosen console by sending messages with detailed comparisons and links to technical specs (for the hardliners out there).
You can also embed threads on Reddit and Discord related to these arguments so users can participate in defending and discussing their choice – only now will they be armed with facts as well as their own opinions.
This tactic may not lead to immediate sales, but gaming is more of a community than other industries. Gamers are very attached to their preferred gear, as you’ll see if you are ever on any of these threads. By helping them make good points, brands convince users of the accuracy of their choice and influence them to buy more from the same source.
Enable easy viewing of eSports tournaments through AMP emails
eSports are such a big deal that even icons like Michael Jordan, Drake, and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones own partial stakes in major teams. Sergio Agüero, the legendary striker for Manchester City, Atlético de Madrid, Barcelona, and Argentina, founded KRÜ Esports to bring this world to a broader audience.
When a tournament is kicking off, the organizing platform can shoot off regular AMP emails reminding the audience to clear out their schedules for specific match timings. Emails can also notify them every time a match begins, and users can join the viewing party straight from the inbox. Embedded countdown timers in the AMP emails will increase the gamers’ excitement and anticipation.
Give gamers top things to share on social media via WhatsApp
Most gamers use social media to connect with their peers, get news, find streamers and new games. Consider what it will look like on social media to make the best of your content.
Send trailers, first looks, gameplay videos, live streams, blogs, and other content via WhatsApp. Not only does such content build excitement, but it also gets you a significant spread if recipients choose to share it on social media.
Moreover, when you’re sharing gaming content on social media, there is a much greater likelihood of potential players engaging with it. After all, this is exactly how they interact with their friends and real-world connections.
Update gamers about technological innovations through RCS
Outside of technologists and scientists, you’ll find that very few groups are as interested in technology as gamers. For example, the Chinese gaming company Tencent has been using a facial recognition feature called the ‘Midnight Patrol’ to ban gamers under 18 from playing between 10 pm and 8 am.
Create a dynamic newsletter (with images, videos, GIFs) that delves into such advancements and protocols and gives your customers unique, timely insights into the industry.
Inbox Commerce strikes the mother lode in the gaming industry
The principle of Inbox Commerce boils down to a simple philosophy: make it easier for customers to support the brand they choose. From the decision-making to the purchase stage, Inbox Commerce offers novel ways to simplify customer actions that contribute directly to engagement and conversion.
If you’re already curious, contact us. Let’s talk about outgunning the competition with innovative and profitable marketing.
Understand how you can benefit from our expertise and experience. Serving over 6,500 customers across 40 countries, Netcore delivers over one billion inbox experiences every day – including 500 million emails and 700 million push notifications. Netcore’s AI is trained on 25 billion+ interactions from 1,300+ eCommerce stores, making it an invaluable asset for global brands wanting to adopt Inbox Commerce.
