Findings of Immersion Bingo Market Research Revealed

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011 - Tammy F.

Earlier this month, we reported on Rank Group’s in-depth market research campaign that follows the lives of regular bingo players. Now, Yahoo Finance is getting some of the details of this project and reporting on some of the key findings from Rank Group. 

Yahoo profiled a woman named Clare Baker, who plays bingo three times a week. Researchers involved in the immersion project, recording every detail of her day-to-day life. Details worth recording include the layout of her house, how she interacts with her family and the places she goes on a day out. This type of research, which borrows from sociology foundations, has been popular since the 1970s, but is only recently that gaming has adopted the approach. 

How can immersion research possibly be useful? What many people consider to be inane or insignificant details can be very valuable to marketing campaigns. According to one researcher, a subject stopped to buy Sudoku puzzles on the way to the bingo hall, prompting him to consider selling the books at the venue. 

Another researcher noticed that his subject spent up to 15 minutes unbinding the pages of her bingo book, wasting time that could be spent taking part in games. By modifying their bingo books, the researcher believes they could maximize the playing time for patrons. 

Although very intensive and expensive, this research will give the company a leg up on other operators by appealing to the everyday demands of players.