FanDuel’s Playbook for Scaling Real-Time Personalization with Mario D’Agostino

In today’s digital landscape, personalized user experiences are desirable and necessary.

FanDuel is the biggest online real money gaming company and the leading sports booking app in the US.

Mario D’Agostino, VP of Product and Product Analytics at FanDuel, is a seasoned veteran in the tech industry who understands the value of leveraging real-time data and probability algorithms to create personalized user experiences.

FanDuel commands over 40% market share and has 14 million active customers. This massive customer base presents unique challenges in terms of customer engagement and retention.

In this episode, Mario discusses the strategy for FanDuel to grow its business by 4x by 2025. He also shares insights from his data playbook, the tech stack behind it, and how he’s effectively scaled his stack during periods of rapid expansion.

Main Takeaways

• FanDuel’s user experience personalization is driven by real-time data and probability algorithms, leveraging tools like Segment to optimize customer lifetime value and adjust acquisition costs.
• The transformative power of Braze Content Cards is harnessed to deliver timely, personalized content based on user spending habits, a strategy also adopted by brands like Venmo.
• Preparing for high-traffic events like the Super Bowl involves system stress tests and collaborations with tech partners. Platforms such as KNIME are utilized to segment offers in real time.
• During major events like the Super Bowl, FanDuel employs predictive analytics and tools like KNIME to send timely push notifications tailored for each user.
• FanDuel’s innovative data strategy embraces Reverse ETL, allowing custom model building with KNIME and data loading into platforms like Salesforce. Additionally, the strategic integration of Segment and AppsFlyer facilitates real-time adjustments to customer acquisition costs.

Top Tools

• Segment: A customer data platform that helps businesses collect, clean, and activate their data, offering a unified view of the customer and enabling real-time personalization.
• Twilio: A cloud communications platform that provides APIs for sending/receiving phone calls, text messages, and more.
• KNIME: A data analytics platform that allows for creating dynamic audiences, real-time segmentation of offers, and the dispatch of relevant push notifications.
• Braze: A customer engagement platform that provides real-time, personalized messaging across various channels. It’s used for delivering tailored content at the right moments.
• Amplitude: A product analytics platform that provides insights into user behavior, allowing businesses to visualize conversion funnels and conduct A/B tests.
• AppsFlyer: An advanced mobile app attribution and marketing analytics platform helping marketers pinpoint their targeting, optimize their ad spend, and boost their ROI.

Harnessing Real-Time Data for Personalized User Experiences

FanDuel has harnessed the transformative power of data to curate highly personalized user experiences. Mario D’Agostino detailed how the company uses real-time data and probability algorithms to gain a deep understanding of its customers, thereby allowing FanDuel to deliver content and messaging that is highly customized and delivered in real time.

Mario emphasized the significance of engaging customers when they are focused on your app, leading to the increasing relevance of real-time CRM and retention campaigns. FanDuel employs Segment and AppsFlyer to facilitate this, providing insights into the lifetime value projection of and enabling a calibrated cost per acquisition. The outcome is more streamlined and sustainable growth.

Behind-the-Scenes Preparations for the Super Bowl

With the Super Bowl representing a high-stakes period in sports betting, FanDuel invests heavily in system stress testing to manage the surge in traffic during such marquee events. To redefine the user experience during the Super Bowl, FanDuel utilized Braze Content Cards to disseminate personalized and timely content.

Leveraging Tech Partnerships for Real-Time Personalization

Tech partnerships played a crucial role in FanDuel’s strategy for Super Bowl Sunday. Utilizing platforms such as KNIME, FanDuel was able to segment audiences dynamically, tailor offers in real time, and dispatch pertinent push notifications. These tech tools, when paired with predictive analytics and personalized experiences delivered via Braze, proved instrumental in managing customer engagement during the event.

The Future of Data-Driven Customer Engagement

Mario projects that future investments will gravitate towards orchestration and campaign automation. He envisions a unified platform that enables marketers to manage campaigns end-to-end. In this context, companies like Twilio and Segment, with their suite of campaign-centric tools and solutions, could potentially disrupt the landscape.

Mario’s insights provide an invaluable roadmap for businesses looking to elevate user experiences through real-time personalization. By tapping into the power of data and leveraging cutting-edge tech tools, businesses can revolutionize their customer engagement strategy, driving more sustainable growth.

As we navigate this digital era, real-time personalization, powered by data and technology, is not merely a trend but an imperative. Companies that can successfully decode this will not only redefine user experiences but also pioneer a revolution in customer experience.

Join us next time as we journey to the bleeding edge of the modern tech stack.  You’ll hear from real experts on how to nail your strategy, build a revenue machine, and take your sales to the next level.