Ladbrokes is planning to introduce artificial turf and “scent marketing” to its High Street stores to recreate the feeling of the old fashioned footballing terraces and differentiate itself from its competitors.
The company is working with Fitch Design to change the layouts of their London stores and introduce a new range of digital features to create a more social atmosphere. With the rise in popularity of gambling, partnered with the stiff competition in the gaming sector, it is a necessity for bookmakers to make beneficial changes and become successful on both the commercial and online markets.
Chris Robson, the group property and procurement director of Ladbrokes stated:
“The new shop aims to differentiate Ladbrokes from the normal traditional format of the betting shop.”
In 2015, the static window displays seen in Ladbrokes stores will be replaced with an interactive screen showing the latest sports results, and free WiFi, phone charging stations, and tea and coffee machines will also be included in the re-design to create a much friendlier atmosphere.
Combined with the artificial turf and scents reminiscent of the terraces, Ladbrokes hopes that the new more social atmosphere will encourage sports fans will stay in their stores to watch live sporting events such as live football and horse racing on the big screens provided. Visual and audio marketing is well established in the sector, but American researchers have shown that scent marketing can create a more immersive experience and increase business by up to 300% in some cases.
The use of scents to trigger positive nostalgic feelings in customers in order to help drive additional sales has gained in popularity in recent years across a number of sectors. By moving into scent marketing, Ladbrokes will be following in the footsteps of other leading brands including Disney, Kraft, and Victoria’s Secret.
Social has also become integral to digital marketing since the rise of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as it offers brands a way to generate word-of-mouth advertising online. By including more social features into its stores, Ladbrokes is hoping that they can mirror the popularity and success of their online platforms on the High Street.
Ladbrokes plans to begin the rollout of its newly revamped stores in central London next year, before bringing the changes to High Streets up and down the UK, as it leads the high street gaming industry into the digital era with these more social and immersive developments.
