Flevy Management Insights Case Study
Customer Retention Strategy for Online Gaming Platform in Asia
     Joseph Robinson    |    Audit Management


Fortune 500 companies typically bring on global consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, and Accenture, or boutique consulting firms specializing in Audit Management to thoroughly analyze their unique business challenges and competitive situations. These firms provide strategic recommendations based on consulting frameworks, subject matter expertise, benchmark data, KPIs, best practices, and other tools developed from past client work. We followed this management consulting approach for this case study.

TLDR An Asian online gaming platform experienced a 20% drop in active users and a 25% increase in churn due to ineffective audit management and shifting gamer preferences. By optimizing audits and personalizing experiences, churn decreased by 15% and daily active users rose by 10%. This highlights the importance of agile strategies and tailored content for improving retention.

Reading time: 11 minutes

Consider this scenario: An innovative online gaming platform based in Asia is confronting severe challenges in customer retention, exacerbated by inefficient audit management processes.

The organization is experiencing a 20% decline in active monthly users and a 25% increase in customer churn rate over the past year, due to intensifying competition from new entrants and evolving gamer preferences. Additionally, internal inefficiencies, particularly in analyzing customer feedback and usage data, hinder swift strategic responses. The primary strategic objective is to enhance customer retention and loyalty, leveraging superior audit management and customer engagement strategies.



The digital gaming industry is witnessing unprecedented growth, driven by increasing internet penetration and the rising popularity of mobile gaming. However, this growth brings about intensified competition and rapidly changing consumer expectations, presenting both significant challenges and opportunities for established platforms.

Strategic Analysis

  • Internal Rivalry: The online gaming industry in Asia is highly competitive, with numerous platforms vying for gamer attention, leading to aggressive marketing strategies and constant innovation.
  • Supplier Power: With an abundance of game developers, the power of suppliers is relatively low, allowing platforms to have a wide selection of games.
  • Buyer Power: High, as gamers have a plethora of choices and low switching costs between platforms.
  • Threat of New Entrants: Moderate, due to technological barriers to entry but offset by the region's large and growing gamer population.
  • Threat of Substitutes: High, given the wide range of entertainment options available, including streaming services and social media.

Emergent trends such as the integration of social features in gaming platforms and the rise of esports are reshaping the industry. These trends highlight the importance of community building and the potential for platforms to engage users beyond traditional gaming.

  • Increasing demand for social gaming experiences presents an opportunity to develop community-centric features but risks alienating traditional gamers.
  • The growth of mobile gaming opens up new market segments but increases competition with mobile-specific platforms.
  • Esports' rising popularity offers a chance to host and sponsor tournaments, though it requires significant investment in infrastructure and partnerships.

A STEEPLE analysis reveals that technological advancements, especially in mobile gaming and cloud services, are driving industry growth. Social trends, including the acceptance of gaming as a mainstream entertainment form, positively impact market size. However, regulatory challenges, particularly concerning game content and monetization strategies, pose ongoing risks.

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Internal Assessment

The platform excels in innovative game offerings and a user-friendly interface but struggles with customer feedback loops and personalized engagement strategies. Its strengths lie in a diverse game library and robust technology infrastructure, yet it faces significant challenges in data utilization and customer relationship management.

MOST Analysis: The organization's mission to be the leading gaming platform in Asia is supported by objectives to improve customer retention and engagement. Strategies involve enhancing audit management and leveraging data analytics for personalized experiences. Tactics include implementing customer feedback tools and loyalty programs.

RBV Analysis: The platform's technological infrastructure and game library are key resources. However, its ability to sustain competitive advantage is hindered by underdeveloped capabilities in data analytics and customer engagement.

Core Competencies Analysis: The platform's core competencies in technology and game diversity are crucial for initial user attraction. To enhance customer retention, it must develop competencies in data-driven decision-making and personalized customer engagement.

Strategic Initiatives

  • Implement a Comprehensive Audit Management System: This initiative aims to streamline the collection and analysis of customer data and feedback, enhancing the platform's responsiveness to customer needs. The expected value is a reduction in customer churn by improving satisfaction and engagement. This will require investment in analytics target=_blank>data analytics tools and training for staff.
  • Develop Personalized Gaming Experiences: By leveraging data analytics, the platform will offer personalized game recommendations and incentives, aiming to increase user engagement and time spent on the platform. This initiative is expected to enhance customer loyalty and lifetime value. Resources needed include advanced data analytics capabilities and marketing technologies.
  • Expand Community Features and Esports Engagement: This strategic move involves creating social gaming experiences and partnerships with esports events to foster a sense of community. The intended impact is to attract and retain a broader user base. Investment in social feature development and strategic partnerships is required.

Audit Management Implementation KPIs

KPIS are crucial throughout the implementation process. They provide quantifiable checkpoints to validate the alignment of operational activities with our strategic goals, ensuring that execution is not just activity-driven, but results-oriented. Further, these KPIs act as early indicators of progress or deviation, enabling agile decision-making and course correction if needed.


What you measure is what you get. Senior executives understand that their organization's measurement system strongly affects the behavior of managers and employees.
     – Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton (creators of the Balanced Scorecard)

  • Customer Churn Rate: Monitoring changes in churn rate will provide insights into the effectiveness of retention strategies.
  • User Engagement Metrics: Metrics such as average session length and daily active users will indicate the success of personalized experiences and community features.
  • Esports Event Participation: Attendance and engagement metrics for hosted esports events will measure the success of community-building efforts.

These KPIs will offer valuable insights into customer behavior, preferences, and satisfaction, enabling continuous improvement of the platform's offerings and strategic initiatives.

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Audit Management Deliverables

These are a selection of deliverables across all the strategic initiatives.

  • Customer Retention Strategy Report (PPT)
  • Audit Management System Implementation Plan (PPT)
  • Personalized Gaming Experience Framework (PPT)
  • Esports Partnership Roadmap (PPT)

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Implement a Comprehensive Audit Management System

The strategic initiative to implement a comprehensive audit management system was significantly supported by the adoption of the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) and the Value Chain Analysis frameworks. CMMI, a process level improvement training and appraisal program, was instrumental in enhancing the organization's processes that are critical for achieving high performance in audit management. Its utility in this strategic initiative stemmed from its structured approach to process improvement, which is essential for identifying and addressing inefficiencies in audit management processes.

The team meticulously applied CMMI by:

  • Assessing the current maturity level of the organization's audit management processes to establish a baseline.
  • Identifying specific process areas within audit management that required improvement to move to the next maturity level.
  • Implementing tailored process improvement strategies based on CMMI guidelines to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of audit management.

Simultaneously, the Value Chain Analysis was utilized to dissect the organization's activities and identify how each step in the audit management process added value to the overall customer experience. This framework was particularly useful in pinpointing areas where inefficiencies were costing the company not just in operational terms but also in terms of customer satisfaction and retention.

The implementation team executed the Value Chain Analysis by:

  • Mapping out the entire audit management process from data collection to analysis and reporting.
  • Evaluating each step for its effectiveness and efficiency, identifying bottlenecks and areas of waste.
  • Redesigning the audit management process to optimize value creation for both the company and its customers.

The results of implementing these frameworks were transformative. The organization witnessed a streamlined audit management process, characterized by improved efficiency and effectiveness. The CMMI framework helped elevate the process maturity level, leading to more consistent and predictable outcomes in audit management. Meanwhile, the Value Chain Analysis illuminated opportunities for process optimization, resulting in faster turnaround times and higher quality insights from audit activities. Together, these frameworks played a pivotal role in enhancing the organization's audit management system, contributing significantly to the strategic objective of improving customer retention and satisfaction.

Develop Personalized Gaming Experiences

For the strategic initiative aimed at developing personalized gaming experiences, the organization adopted the Customer Journey Mapping (CJM) and the Kano Model frameworks. CJM provided a holistic view of the customer's experience with the platform, from initial awareness through various touchpoints to long-term engagement. This framework was vital for understanding the different stages of interaction customers had with the platform and identifying opportunities for personalization. It allowed the organization to visualize the customer's path and tailor experiences that resonate with individual preferences.

The implementation of the Customer Journey Mapping involved:

  • Identifying all the touchpoints customers had with the platform, including discovery, registration, gameplay, and community engagement.
  • Collecting and analyzing data on customer behavior and preferences at each touchpoint.
  • Designing personalized interventions at critical touchpoints to enhance the customer experience and engagement.

The Kano Model was utilized to categorize customer preferences into must-haves, performance attributes, and delighters. This framework was crucial in prioritizing features and experiences that would have the most significant impact on customer satisfaction and retention. It helped the organization focus its resources on developing features that not only met basic customer expectations but also introduced elements of surprise and delight.

The application of the Kano Model proceeded by:

  • Surveying customers to gauge their reactions to various features and experiences offered by the platform.
  • Analyzing survey results to classify features into Kano Model categories.
  • Focusing development efforts on high-impact features, particularly those identified as delighters, to create unique and personalized gaming experiences.

The implementation of these frameworks led to the development of highly personalized and engaging gaming experiences that resonated with the platform's diverse user base. Customer Journey Mapping enabled the organization to understand and improve the end-to-end customer experience, leading to increased engagement and satisfaction. Meanwhile, the Kano Model provided insights into customer preferences that informed the development of features and experiences that not only met but exceeded customer expectations. As a result, the platform saw a significant reduction in churn rate and an increase in user engagement metrics, affirming the success of this strategic initiative.

Expand Community Features and Esports Engagement

In expanding community features and esports engagement, the organization leveraged the Network Effect Theory and the Strategic Group Analysis frameworks. The Network Effect Theory was pivotal in understanding how each additional user of the platform or participant in esports events could increase the value of the platform for all users. This framework guided the strategic initiative by highlighting the importance of creating a vibrant, engaged community that attracts more users and enhances the overall platform experience.

The team applied the Network Effect Theory by:

  • Enhancing community features to encourage more user interaction and content creation.
  • Organizing and promoting esports events that drew in large numbers of participants and viewers, thereby increasing platform engagement.
  • Implementing feedback loops from community engagement to continuously improve the platform and events based on user input.

Strategic Group Analysis was employed to identify and understand the competitive landscape within the online gaming and esports market. By analyzing competitors who were also engaging in community and esports initiatives, the organization could differentiate its offerings and identify untapped opportunities for engagement and growth. This framework was essential for strategic positioning and ensuring the platform's community features and esports events stood out in a crowded market.

The execution of Strategic Group Analysis involved:

  • Mapping competitors based on their level of investment and focus on community features and esports.
  • Identifying gaps in the market that the organization could exploit to attract a unique segment of gamers.
  • Developing unique selling propositions for the platform's community features and esports events, differentiating them from competitors.

Implementing these frameworks resulted in the successful expansion of community features and esports engagement on the platform. The Network Effect Theory helped the organization enhance the value of its platform through increased user participation, creating a more vibrant and engaging community. Strategic Group Analysis provided insights into competitive differentiation, enabling the platform to offer unique and compelling community features and esports events. This strategic initiative not only attracted new users but also fostered a sense of belonging among the existing user base, contributing significantly to improved customer retention and loyalty.

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Key Findings and Results

Here is a summary of the key results of this case study:

  • Streamlined audit management processes, achieving a 15% reduction in customer churn rate through enhanced satisfaction and engagement.
  • Introduced personalized gaming experiences, resulting in a 20% increase in average session length and a 10% rise in daily active users.
  • Expanded community features and esports engagement, attracting 25% more participants in hosted events and increasing platform engagement metrics.
  • Implemented feedback loops from community engagement, leading to continuous improvement in platform offerings and a 5% increase in user satisfaction scores.

The strategic initiatives undertaken by the organization have yielded significant improvements in customer retention and engagement, as evidenced by the reduction in churn rate and increases in session lengths and daily active users. The successful implementation of a comprehensive audit management system has streamlined processes and enhanced responsiveness to customer needs, directly contributing to improved satisfaction and engagement. The development of personalized gaming experiences, underpinned by Customer Journey Mapping and the Kano Model, has effectively increased user engagement and satisfaction, affirming the value of tailored content and incentives. The expansion of community features and esports engagement, guided by the Network Effect Theory and Strategic Group Analysis, has not only attracted new users but also fostered a stronger sense of community among existing users, further enhancing loyalty and retention.

However, the results also highlight areas for improvement. While the initiatives have been successful in reducing churn and increasing engagement, the 5% increase in user satisfaction scores suggests that there is room for further enhancement in how the platform meets and exceeds customer expectations. Additionally, the focus on expanding community features and esports engagement, though successful, may have inadvertently sidelined traditional gamers, indicating a potential oversight in balancing the needs of different user segments.

Alternative strategies, such as further segmentation of user preferences to tailor experiences more finely, could enhance outcomes. Investing in advanced predictive analytics to anticipate user trends and preferences might also offer a competitive edge, enabling the platform to adapt more proactively to changing gamer expectations. Furthermore, exploring partnerships with emerging game developers could introduce innovative gaming experiences, attracting a broader user base and fostering a culture of innovation.

Recommended next steps include conducting a comprehensive review of user feedback to identify specific areas of dissatisfaction and potential improvements in the gaming experience. The organization should also consider expanding its data analytics capabilities to gain deeper insights into user behavior and preferences, enabling more targeted and effective personalization strategies. Finally, exploring strategic partnerships with game developers and other platforms could offer new opportunities for growth and innovation, further enhancing the platform's value proposition and competitive positioning.

Source: Customer Retention Strategy for Online Gaming Platform in Asia, Flevy Management Insights, 2024

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