William Hill in affiliate marketing deal

Growth in mobile betting and a decline in PC sales has prompted the major UK land and online gambling group William Hill plc to focus on boosting mobile activity and apps, according to a statement from affiliate marketer TradeDoubler Tuesday.

The company has been given an exclusive mobile affiliate partnership tasked with driving punters to the Will Hill mobile site and helping them to discover its range of useful apps.

Tablet shipments are due to outstrip laptops in 2013, and with smartphone penetration now reaching 62 percent in the UK, William Hill has recognised that enhancing its already impressive performance across mobile channels is critical.

“The onus is constantly shifting towards mobile,” said Kate Miller, PR director, William Hill. “The unstoppable rise of the smartphone and the tablet is proof of this.  Our customers demand a high quality mobile service from us and making sure that they can discover and download our range of apps is our top priority.

“Tradedoubler has a proven track record in the mobile space, so we’re confident it’ll be able to increase traffic to our mobile site as well as encourage customers to enjoy the convenience of betting, casino and bingo apps on their mobile and tablets.”

Neil Ranatunga, head of mobile at TradeDoubler UK & Ireland, said Tuesday: “Mobile betting is growing at an exponential rate and consumers now favour this option due to its speed and simplicity. William Hill is a major player in the online betting industry, so we’re really excited about helping them drive mobile traffic and showcase their mobile app.

“We’re also pleased to add them to our growing list of clients focusing budget on the affiliate channel to help deliver their app marketing strategy, utilising our unique expertise in this area.

“Companies that don’t have a mobile presence will find themselves falling behind the curve, so it’s vital they have a mobile site that is accessible to users. Getting customers to access the mobile site is the first step to reaping the benefits of this lucrative channel,” Ranatunga said.

Recent research conducted by TradeDoubler and Forrester Consulting has shown that over 50 percent of mobile users in Europe and the UK who have made an initial purchase via the channel, come back for more, accessing services on a regular and often monthly basis.

70 percent of mobile users rely on their devices to find good deals every week, 31 percent of whom carry through to an actual transaction, and over 50 percent have made purchases beyond a small app, with 27 percent buying online on a monthly basis

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