It’s no surprise that mobile technology is becoming the new way people choose to consume their content these days. Whether it’s looking at the news, checking their social media feeds or even playing a simple game to pass the time, people always seem to be on their phones. With that, the use and popularity of mobile apps has grown exponentially and organizations are trying to find new ways to get their brand across in order to keep their customer’s attention. Not only is this the case for popular news outlets or major corporations, it is becoming increasingly important for sports organizations to develop something in order to make the alleviate as much stress as possible from the ticket holders.
One example of this is the elimination of paper tickets and now consumers are either having their tickets being printed at the gates or now even having their tickets being delivered straight to their phone and the ushers at the gate will just scan the e-ticket to get them in. This is a great benefit to fans as they don’t have to worry about the chance that they end up leaving their ticket at home because no one forgets their phone or their credit card these days. It also provides a chance for the consumer to have an added sense of security with these new forms ticketing. Previously, hackers had been able to steal codes or print fake tickets that revealed the same bar code as a paper ticket and some fans weren’t able to get into their event. Now the only to get in is through that person’s physical credit card or with their cell phone.
Not only are fans using their mobile devices for ticketing purposes, they’re also using them to consume of the the content that surrounds the team. Instead of forcing the computer to go into their internet browser which can drop the statistics in average time on site, many organizations are developing mobile apps in order to make their fans’ lives easier. Most of these apps have the exact same feature as the team’s website, but it saves the consumer some clicks and makes everything far easier since everything is already set up to mobile dimensions. These are not easy to implement and can be very pricey if the team is looking to hire someone to set the app up for them, but in the end it is making the customers happier which could lead to a higher stream of revenue and who wouldn’t want that?
Hi Dylan,
Great post. While I am old school and still enjoy hanging on to physical ticket stubs for nostalgia purposes from special games (first Patriots game, big win for the Bruins, Red Sox vs Yankees, etc.), having an app or e-ticket system is way less stressful! A personal example; last fall, my boyfriend and I went to a Patriots game. We are close to 2 hours away and must have asked each other dozens of times ‘do you have the tickets?’ or ‘do you still have the tickets?’ or even better ‘no I thought you had them’ 🙂 We proceeded to watch many happy people enter the gates with phones out, waiting to be scanned. Athletic associations are definitely evolving with technology which could yield even larger opportunities in the future.
Thanks,
Tiffany