What consumers want : a repertory grid analysis of online sportsbook consumer preferences

Abstract

The aim of this research study is to analyse which needs and values affect the brand preferences and choices of online gaming consumers in Portugal, based on their own perspective. In order to get those answers, George Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory and its derived Repertory Grid technique were used on a sample of online sportsbook customers within the Portuguese market. Therefore, a qualitative approach was taken and ten individual interviews were carried out, targeting avid online gaming customers. Each interview provided a set of different constructs, which are perceptions of the online gaming industry constructed by each consumer. Thus, by using the repertory grid technique, the constructs of every person being interviewed could be sketched and profiled. It was found that the constructs which respondents referred to the most, were mostly affected by licensing issues of Portuguese sportsbook operators. According to the results of a decision-making grid, the top ranked operators were Betfair and Bet365, who, ironically, have already withdrawn from Portugal. Amongst the brands still operating in Portugal, 1xbet was the highest ranking element, whilst amongst the operators with a Portuguese licence, Bet.pt and Betclic, were mostly associated to the low rankings. This research study also delved into quantitative aspects. The data was plotted onto several graphs and tables to establish correlations and conduct statistical analysis, with the help of the Idiogrid software. A descriptive analysis showed that the elements which occurred more often were Betfair, Betclic and Bet.pt. Each of these brands was mentioned by 8 of the 10 respondents. In the same analysis, it could be noted that the “odds” construct occurred in all 10 respondent interviews. Although the licensing construct was only mentioned by 6 out of the 10 respondents, the implications of having a license were present in all the other constructs derived from the respondents. When looking at the correlations between the elements it was found that Betfair and Bet365 were highly correlated. The same happened between Bet.pt and Betclic, who were inversely correlated to Betfair and Bet365. On observing correlations between constructs, it was noted that “excellent customer service” was highly correlated to “excellent bonus offers”, showing that the consumers tend to rate a brand higher when they are provided with more benefits. A Principal Components Analysis was also made and the total variance could be described by five principal components. Observations and conclusions on the ways in which consumers construe online sportsbook products and services were drawn by analysing this data. The results of this research allowed for the profiling of several Portuguese sportsbook operators, ranked from online gamblers’ perspective. This may be helpful in drawing up a theoretical framework on consumer preferences with online sportsbook websites, as well as in the qualitative phase of market research of online gaming brands in order for them to cater to their customers.