Halifax
Case study: Online share dealing game
Challenge
In 2006 Halifax Share Dealing had the idea to re-launch their online service with a number of new tools aimed at making it easier for customers to manage their share portfolios online. However, they had concerns that these new tools, although useful, may be confusing or daunting for users and act as a barrier to customer uptake.
We were briefed to develop a marketing campaign that would smooth the transition of customers from the previous share dealing system to the new one.
Solution
Working with Halifax Share Dealing’s creative agency, we proposed a strategy of first educating the customer base about the enhancements to the new service.
To do this we developed a real-time share dealing game for Halifax share dealers to trial before the service was completed. We worked closely with Halifax Share Dealing marketing and technical teams to make sure the game successfully mirrored, both visually and functionally, the real service.
This trial ran for three months and used a real-time share feed from the stock market to maintain authenticity. We also incorporated an element of competition with league tables, mini leagues (which helped spread the game virally) and a £5,000 prize for the best share dealer over the trial period.
By allowing users the opportunity to trial the new tools in advance they were able to familiarise themselves with the enhanced service before it went live.
Results
The number of registered users who regularly played the game during the trial period was far in excess of the predicted figure. The conversion rate of customers from the game to the new service was also excellent and reached double figures in percentage terms.
