Mr. Gamble Interview With Nika Kuzmicheva, Chief Operating Officer at Enchant Affiliates

Today we are joined by Nika Kuzmicheva, Chief Operating Officer at Enchant Affiliates, an iGaming company behind such brands as Kakadu Casino, and more. She's going to help us peek behind a curtain a bit and will reveal a few secrets behind the success of Enchant Affiliates.

Nika, thank you for coming and let’s dive right in! What’s the inspiration behind the name ‘Enchant Affiliates’?

Before Enchant Affiliates, there was Abo Partners, which was aimed at native players from Australia and New Zealand. But at some point, we realised that "Abo" has a bad connotation in Australia, so we had to start from scratch.

We went through hundreds of domains on GoDaddy, held a hundred consultations with business partners, and tried to come up with something that best reflected our team. The recommendations were always the same: a short, catchy name, easy to search for.

Then I remembered that growing up, I loved the TV series Charmed, which was about sisters with superpowers. This resonated with our team, as most of our top management are women.

Long story short, you can’t take names for granted.

Ok, now the real questions begin. As COO, how do you see your business strategies and vision stack up to other affiliate programs in the industry?

We've recently celebrated our second anniversary. In this short time, our approach has completely evolved – from casino bonuses and promotions to regional policies. We now focus on European markets, diving deep into analytics and ensuring our players have a seamless experience with our products.

We look at customer journeys and remove the needless friction, so that players have only positive impressions at any stage of interaction with the platform.

Looking at your testimonials page, it takes me almost a minute just to scroll through all the positive messages. How does one company earn this much good will?

There’s no secret, really. We simply value feedback and prioritise open communication. We believe in building trust and maintaining open relationships with our players.

In my opinion, we are still at the start of our journey, as the gears started turning for real only after the first anniversary of Enchant Affiliates. We've recently made our debut at international conferences, winning awards and gaining recognition. That is to say, we are becoming more public.

Naturally, open communication means dealing with negativity. It’s a normal aspect of working with customers of any kind. We stand firmly behind our values but also go to great lengths to understand where others are coming from.

Online gambling is an increasingly international phenomenon, so there’s almost an expectation for affiliates to be everywhere at once. How do you handle marketing in regions with different regulations and player preferences?

Our analysts are our backbone. We study player interests in each region, conduct tests, look at heat maps, track metrics, and focus on enhancing the player experience. What’s more, we tend to share our insights with other companies as this leads to a better environment for everyone.

We're also exploring the potential of mobile gaming and the crypto market.

Creating a solid brand in this competitive field is already an achievement, and yet Enchant Affiliates boasts to have created not one but three successful casino brands. What do you attribute your success to?

It's been a journey! Two years ago, we started with three setups and learned along the way. We realised how much work and what resources we needed only after we went live.

Our focus is on continuous improvement and product development. But, the real magic lies in our dedicated team.

There’s no story that we affiliates love more than a success story. What’s one marketing campaign or promotional strategy that you are really proud of?

The secret to the Enchant Affiliates strategy is that we spend a lot of behind-the-scenes time working with major partners. We've learned to target high-potential teams, build the right communication with them, and create mutual success. We invest time in working closely with our partners, leading to win-win stories.

What catches many new casino affiliates unawares is that the industry tends to change in the blink of an eye. How do you handle these changes, such as the rise of mobile gaming or the use of cryptocurrencies?

Staying updated is crucial. We're closely monitoring gambling regulations and exploring new traffic sources. It feels like it will take a long time to teach both players and partners how to work with the crypto market, as there are many hidden pitfalls.

The mobile casino segment, on the other hand, is something we have been working with for a very long time. 60% of the traffic of our related affiliate program comes from mobile devices.

Of course, traffic comes in many different forms. The dinosaurs of the market are still iOS and Android but we also have a positive experience working with Huawei. The most important thing, however, is to pay attention to app development, design, ratings and other related parameters for a comfortable game.

What is one latest piece of news that every affiliate company worth its salt needs to pay attention to?

It’s certainly everything around gambling regulations in different regions. The latest high-profile developments concern the Curacao licence, but I’d rather not bore our players with details just yet.

From my experience, building the right team is half the battle won. Can you share more about your team and the roles your teammates play in your success?

This will sound a bit cliche but people are truly our greatest asset. We believe in fostering a sense of community, trust, and loyalty. Our team's passion and dedication are the driving forces behind our success and we go the extra mile to ensure that everyone feels valued and respected within the team.

Lastly, let’s take out our crystal balls and try to look into the future. How do you see the landscape of affiliate marketing changing in the next five years?

The landscape is changing, with tighter regulations and evolving player preferences. For companies, there will be an increase in expenses since obtaining new licences and implementing new payment methods will be crucial. Quality traffic will also become pricier, and there will be a shift towards in-house teams.

Therefore, the time to prepare for the future markets and partnerships is now – or, better yet, yesterday.

Overall, it feels like an exciting time, and we're ready for the challenges ahead!