“Direct-to-consumer isn’t optional anymore”

Direct-to-consumer strategies aren’t optional anymore for mobile game publishers, says Xsolla’s VP of monetisation products Artem Liubutov.

Speaking during a session at Devcom, Liubutov said the shift to direct purchases isn’t coming - it’s already happening.

“Frankly for the last four years at least,” he stated, calling it the foundation of the future of monetisation. It should be noted that Xsolla is a commerce company which benefits from off-store transactions on web shops.

DTC conversions

Liubutov offered a number of tips based on what its customers are doing and what data it's seeing from direct payments through its services.

Comparing two games’ DTC conversions using in-app buy buttons, he claimed one game that had a web shop saw a 46% conversion rate, while a title without a web shop had 18%.

Though games likely vary in their conversion rates across the board, Liubutov said he was highlighting the importance of educating players on direct purchases, a feature that may be new to them.

He said developers don’t just need to inform players about direct purchases, but to build a new habit of buying on the web.

Liubutov highlighted three key drivers for this: ease of use, value, and repetition and consistency.

He said this can be achieved by regularly reminding players that the web shop exists - such as through email campaigns, social posts, the VIP community channel or push notifications.

Meanwhile, the web shop UI and UX should mirror what players see in game. He also advised making payment authentication fast and easy - such as getting players to use Apple Pay or Google Pay through their own shop.

Earlier today, FunPlus VP of business development Bob Slinn discussed how IDFA deprecation was the catalyst for the company to engage in DTC practices.