For affiliates, long-term profitability is closely tied to the strength of their retention funnel. Without effective retention tactics, even the most promising leads may leave before making a first-time deposit (FTD). To get results, retention tools must be fine-tuned for different audience segments, continually tested, and regularly refreshed with new approaches. In Expert Talks we spoke with Mares, CEO of the Stars Partners affiliate program, who shared valuable insights into the retention mechanics used across their brands and their real-world effectiveness.
From First Visit to Repeat Deposits: Inside the Retention Funnel
Do you offer a welcome journey tailored to traffic from affiliates, such as free spins or unique sign-up bonuses?
Our affiliates’ success is our success, so we put a lot of effort into helping partners achieve higher conversion rates. Here’s what we do:
- The retention funnel is built around the partner’s creatives, reflecting their tone of voice, design, and messaging.
- Communication starts right after registration, using email sequences, push notifications, SMS, in-app messages, and more to prevent churn.
- Enhanced welcome bonuses can be provided on request.
- As a partner’s monthly FTD volume grows, we offer increasingly favorable terms for their audience.
And what happens after the player lands on the platform?
Mares: The work actually begins before registration. Once a visitor arrives, we capture cookies and later retarget them with ads across external platforms – this has a measurable effect on click-to-registration (C2R) rates. Post-registration, our goal is to secure a deposit within the first 15 minutes by offering an instant no-wager bonus. We also engage users through multiple channels – inbox messages, on-site notifications, email, SMS, push, and others. The approach changes based on the source of traffic. For example, Facebook and email leads get more frequent follow-ups in the first week compared to PPC or SEO leads. Before introducing any new retention feature, we run detailed analytics across all brands. The “15-minute” incentive came from studying Tier-1 user behavior, which showed that most players explore the platform for 3–9 minutes before making a decision. Some leave intending to deposit later – this tool captures those potential conversions before they drop off.
Motivating Repeat Deposits
What tools do you use to encourage redeposits?
Bringing players back after they’ve left is far harder than keeping them engaged while they’re active. That’s why we focus heavily on in-session interaction:
Gamified deposit challenges with time limits
- Inbox alerts highlighting rewards or upcoming expirations
- Pop-ups triggered when the balance drops below a set amount
We also run mission-based incentives. In several projects, players receive a hidden free-spin bonus after their first deposit, lasting for three months. Once a week, at random, we send an SMS and email announcing a fresh batch of no-deposit free spins that expire within 24 hours. This not only maintains engagement but also drives reactivations.
Gamification & Bonus Mechanics
What gamification elements do brands use?
Alongside classics like the wheel of fortune, bonus shops, missions, and scratch cards, we’ve introduced new mini-games such as quizzes and match-X challenges. These don’t just offer rewards – they also tap into players’ curiosity and competitiveness.
- Wheel of Fortune: Win up to €500,000 every 12 hours
- Bonus Shop: Combine earnings from different activities
- Quizzes & Match-X: Increase session time and return visits
Since launching these new games, engagement with older mechanics has actually increased by 17–22% depending on the market. Quizzes alone have added 12–15 minutes to average session duration and lifted repeat visits by 18%. We also run personalized offers, exclusive tournaments, and even offline events for VIP players to deepen loyalty.
More about gamification can be found in the previous article.
How the Rewards System Works
Bonuses are integrated directly into gameplay. A player might receive a reward for returning after an absence, completing a mission, unlocking achievements, or leaving a review for our support team. These small gestures boost both loyalty and activity. Our VIP program is automated – the more active and consistent the player, the more significant the rewards. Mini-games are fully embedded in this system, with top prizes of up to €500,000 every 12 hours.
Sustainable affiliate success relies on a well-structured retention funnel that engages players from the first touchpoint and motivates long-term activity. Stars Partners demonstrates that combining data-driven personalization, timely incentives, and gamified experiences can significantly increase conversion rates, session duration, and repeat deposits.
