An increasing number of fans are using their mobile devices to purchase tickets and interact with their favorite brands. Below we look at two examples of how mobile applications can improve the live experience and generate additional revenue.
Philadelphia Flyers Keep App Up To Date With Content
The Philadelphia Flyers App for Apple iOS and Android has become the second most downloaded app in the National Hockey League since its launch in September, offering real time score and player updates, along with team video on demand and in-app ticket purchasing.
“Everything we do has an immediate ticket sales opportunity; it’s one of the first considerations during the design process,” explained Cindy Stutman, VP of Customer Solutions for the team. “When you open the app, one of the first buttons you’ll see is a prompt to purchase tickets.”
One of the reasons the app has been successful, Stutman explained, was because of the amount of time her team spends trying to continually drive new traffic to the app. To avoid having fans download the app and never use it again, the Flyers use the app to announce the winners of promotions and contests and fans have to open the app to see if they’re a winner.
“We’ll show one winner on the scoreboard, and then we’ll pick another 10 winners and tell them to log into the app for the results,” she said. “We’re constantly trying to think of new ways to drive people to the app. And we’re constantly finding new ways to improve the purchase process and find new revenues.”
Experience Helps University of Alabama Fill Student Section
The University of Alabama is one of the most storied programs in college football, but the school was having a unique problem. It was having difficulty filling its student seating section.
Working with mobile app firm Experience, the university developed a program to sell seats in the student sections to recent graduates.
“We put together a full season ticket (minus LSU) offered to young alumni and eventually offered them free upgrades they could experience once in the stadium. The folks who got it couldn’t believe they were able to buy the tickets,” explained Experience CEO Ben Ackerman.
The program has since been extended to basketball and gymnastics — using the Experience app, fans can purchase in-game upgrades before or during the game. Ackerman said that teams have found new revenues using the upsell app, helping fans secure seat upgrades prior to the game, or collect loyalty points once inside the venue.
Ackerman said the Experience App allows teams to communicate with fans both at the point of ticket purchase and over the course of the transaction, and utilizes social campaigns, email and push notifications.