How B2B relationships have changed, and how to tailor them
How have partnerships in the B2B gaming industry changed in recent years?
The type of relationship between a B2B provider and operator really depends on how big an operator is and how skilled they are at operations. At the entry level for small operators, I don’t think much has really changed.
It’s for larger operators where things have changed more over the years. There used to be two choices, outsource or build in-house. Now, many larger operators take a hybrid approach with certain components being built in-house and other parts being outsourced. B2B providers have to be a lot more flexible in what is supplied by them and what is controlled directly by the operator. The number of third-party integrations has expanded significantly. Now, third-party BI, CRM and an operator’s own data warehouse can mean much much bigger and deeper integrations. This requires B2B vendors to have much bigger technical teams outside of their own product development.
What factors have had the biggest impact on this changing relationship?
There are two major factors: The ambition level and investment appetite of both the operator and the supplier.
For some operators, the bottom-line price is always the deciding factor in major strategic decisions – and like most things in life, you get what you pay for. With over 20 years of experience, I’ve seen some hugely successful operators emerge from nowhere – and every one of them was initially more focused on the top line than the bottom line.
On the provider side, some vendors don’t want to change their model, and many simply don’t need to. If you have hundreds of clients and are successful, it doesn’t even make sense for them to change.
A good partnership is where both a vendor’s long-term goals are strategically aligned
So, in essence, the relationship between B2B supplier and operator is highly dependent on how that B2B supplier is structured operationally, and whether their modus operandi can work on a much deeper level.
To you, what makes a good partnership?
A good partnership is where both a vendor’s long-term goals are strategically aligned. Growth is typically the main goal for both; however, if growth for the vendor comes from many more clients, it’s harder to be aligned with an individual operator’s long-term growth.
A good partnership also exists where both vendor and operator feel true mutual value from each other, and where they feel like actual partners rather than just a supplier relationship.
How do you tailor your offering to effectively support your clients?
We have always been a business built around a tailored offering. Comtarde Gaming has been in business for over 20 years, initially solely doing bespoke development projects. As we transitioned to building our own products, that bespoke element has always remained. Each client typically has their own dedicated Comtrade Gaming team that works very closely with an individual operator on daily basis. They understand their business and work as an extension of their internal team.
Sometimes, a client may not know exactly what they need. How do you work together to come up with effective solutions?
One of the strongest parts of our offering is our business analyst team. We employ 400 people, and 10% of them work in this area.
Whether it be features or functionality, all of it stems from a business need or goal.
Our business analysts work with our clients to understand that goal and translate it into a feature or functionality that can then be developed. For this to be efficient – and not be a drain on the operator’s time – requires a lot of domain knowledge and industry experience. That is where over 20 years in the industry working with top operators really has an advantage.
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