CX Monthly

Yet, finding excellent examples of those words actually being put into action and monetized (meaning generating incremental revenue) are harder to find. 

The LaLiga Ticketing Strategy (“LTS”), which was distributed to all clubs in 2016, as well as the soon-to-be-released Pandemic Response Guidelines (“PRG”), places great emphasis on the need for our clubs to adapt to the desires, demands and needs of the next generation of football fans, who have also quickly adapted to purchasing entertainment via monthly subscription, popularized by Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and other streaming services. 

The subscription concept, which is made possible by the advent of paperless ticketing (another key recommendation of the Customer Experience Committee and PRG) is now being adapted by several professional sports clubs in the States, which eliminates the traditional definition of “season ticket” where the customer receives the same seat for all games. 

For club’s that carefully implement the subscription model, there are several benefits:

• Clubs get the advantage of assigning seats only 24-hours before the game, based on available inventory at that moment.  This allows you to efficiently manage your seating inventory by “infilling” sectors to create a “sold out” atmosphere.
• Much higher probability that subscribers will utilize the tickets, which ultimately can have a positive impact on occupancy.
• Payment method that is comfortable and common for a new generation of fans.  It is especially notable that for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavs (see story link below), more than half of the subscriptions have been sold to people who have never purchased a ticket before.
• By promoting a ticket product that does not provide a reserved seat at the time of purchase, you have a new sales benefit for customers who prefer to know their seat location at the time of purchase (product differentiation is a key principle of the LTS).
• You eliminate one of the most common reasons why people don’t buy season tickets – reluctance to make a long-term commitment -- while, at the same time, put money in the bank with a product that can be sold months in advance.

Here is a story that provides an excellent example of “disruption” being put into action by the NBA’s Cleveland Cavs:

Cavs and other team are using subscription plan to connect with new fans

{From Crain’s Cleveland Business, Oct. 27, 2019}

Sports fans who aren’t looking for a long-term commitment are finding a partner in teams that are offering monthly subscription plans. 

And the clubs believe quite a few of the fans who participate will end up getting hooked. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ monthly subscription program recently tipped off, and more than 1000 passes have been sold for October and November.  READ MORE