A successful OTT streaming service looks good and is easy to use. However, one of the biggest challenges most platforms face now is churn. To learn more about ways OTT streaming services can streamline their approach to subscriber retention, read our article. Canceling subscription management is generally easy to do and often does not cost anything. The content might be king, but user engagement trumps it. Subscribers must be able to locate their preferred content seamlessly to avoid almost immediate dissatisfaction. The pandemic has enabled consumers to conveniently watch whatever they want, whenever they want and wherever they want.
The era of “contractless” consumer flexibility allows users to dip their toes to test the waters of OTT streaming services without legal baggage. Therefore attracting them and maintaining their loyalty is essential through the experience they receive on the platform. Consumers have also enjoyed bespoke personal experiences across various industries and expect the same from online subscriptions. Even though user experience and the user interface are the ones to drive e-commerce, the additional Midas touch of a personal experience is now essential.
Does User Interface Contribute to the Success of User Experience?
User interface and user experience are intertwined and essential in delivering content on OTT streaming services. The user interface focuses on visual design, which aids in delivering the user experience. This translates to the importance of a sleek overall design to provide customers with a seamless first-class experience.
On OTT streaming services and OTT video, the UI design will determine how much content and description can be displayed on the screen. Some factors to keep in mind include a clear navigation menu, an accessible search bar, an interactive video review, the kind of typography used to promote moods and emotions as well as the personalization aspect.
Once user experience and user interface are put into place and given priority, the availability of content becomes varied. Platforms then have the necessary means to meet consumers' demands. And as these three dimensions merge to become all that a consumer is looking for on an OTT streaming service, the platform would have achieved a fraction of successful delivery.
Making User Experience and Content Strategy Work
There’s no denying that content plays a critical role in the overall success of an OTT video service but what if the content isn’t accessible and the entire viewing experience isn’t pleasurable? According to research conducted by PwC, content and user experience have an equal effect on perceived value. The correlation between content to value is at .73, whereas experience to value is at .70. Having said that, there are slight nuances when it comes to services by type. Overall value is still slightly influenced by experience for Ad-supported Video on Demand (AVOD) and content for Subscription-based Video on Demand (SVOD) services.
With the recent unveiling of Evergent’s Customer Care and Billing (CCB) 3.0, the platform has been designed to allow customers to create and manage product configurations, promotions, and packaging to drive new revenue management solutions and prioritize revenue optimization. We are entering an era where managing blended or hybrid business models will be essential for success. However, blended business models are not limited to AVOD/SVOD. Apart from content and user experience, the upcoming blended models will require all streaming providers to entail operational agility to remain competitive in the industry.
Even though an exhaustive content library could be overwhelming, it is a key ingredient in bringing in subscribers and handling their lifecycle management. With new streaming platforms on the horizon, strategic players should continue investing in content, considering consumers can’t get enough of it. Consumers favor friction-free services, and ease of use is essential to driving favoritism between AVOD and SVOD. In a cluttered and competitive video streaming market, being favored will mean greater loyalty and increased usage.
Therefore providing consumers with a wide variety of content, OTT streaming services should prioritize a pleasurable viewing experience which will then inevitably attract subscribers and their subscription management. Artificial intelligence has also become ubiquitous in ‘helping’ consumers locate the content they wouldn’t have otherwise done. They are interested in browsing for options beyond the norm and will look for innovative techniques to do the needful. Innovation-driven methods which provide a great user experience mean favored content is easily accessible.
User Experience and Content are Essential for Subscriber Stickiness
Although cost and advertising intrusiveness will remain influential factors in a consumer's decision to subscribe, OTT streaming services must provide them with an exceptional overall user experience and content library. As an OTT video platform, the main goal is to own the customer relationship.
Evergent’s value-added products and services not only aid in the exemplary delivery of the platform but eases customer experiences, user lifecycle management, and revenue optimization. The platform should be able to offer consumers content that they didn’t know they wanted to see. OTT streaming services must also highly consider using original content as a subscription ‘hook’, which will, in turn, create subscription stickiness and loyalty, as mentioned above.
Maximizing content and providing consumers with an easy-to-operate search function key and navigation panel are some of the most important factors to consider. The conclusion is that consumers will prioritize an easy and reliable user experience and content gallery over monthly benefits and discounts.
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