Just like retail customers, sports fans also have clearly defined wishes for location-based services. Some of these are extremely banal. This is the result of a survey carried out in April 2016 in which 5,000 people were interviewed who had taken part in a live event in a large stadium the previous year and who had a smartphone. The respondents come from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. However, it can be assumed that the identified trends can also be transferred to continental European fans.
Catering has proven to be a top priority for stadium visitors, with fans saying that they find catering too difficult to access. 70% of respondents said that their matchday experience would improve with vouchers and discounts! Many of them also said that it would be a plus to get information on available food! The Adler Mannheim meet these needs with an updated fan app: The feature “My Home Game” sends exactly these special Food & Beverage game day offers requested by 80% of all fans directly to the fan’s mobile phone. Indoor navigation already made it possible to navigate comfortably to any point of interest – including the next sausage or pizza stand.
The results show not only the expectations of the fans, but also to what extent there has been a change in behaviour towards the use of new digital channels and personalised functions and the need for digital information. It is clear that stadium operators will have to work increasingly harder in the future if they want to keep up with today’s changing expectations. However, new revenue potential will open up for those who manage to do so.
You may also read Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 4 and Part 5 of this article series.