The SSE Arena, Belfast launched their venue app in late 2015.
Since then, The Belfast Giants Ice Hockey team have utilised their dedicated section within the app to enhance the fan experience before, throughout and after each game.
Key Stats
3000%
Uplift in season ticket holder spend
70%
Registration rate
£2,123
Highest individual season ticket holder spend
App benefits to the club
Driving app downloads
Read below about how we drove app downloads through effective communication and social marketing.
Social Media
Taking advantage of their 100k+ followers, the team used social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter to promote the app.
24% of people found out about the app from social media…
They advertised their upcoming app-only promotions and deals using banners which would be seen by people who either ‘liked’ or ‘followed’ their page, encouraging fans to benefit from these offers by downloading the app. Survey results showed that 24% of people who downloaded the app found out about it from social media.
Communication
The use of newsletters, emails and season ticket holder communications further enticed fans to download and benefit from the app.
Newsletters, emails and season ticket communications…
Once a ticket for a game was purchased online, an email would be sent to the customer highlighting the benefits of the app. Additionally to this, new season ticket holders would receive a welcome pack with details of app registration, app-only offers and a loyalty scheme that gave rewards for multiple purchases through the app.
Fan Referrals
One of the biggest drivers of downloads of the app was fan to fan referral. In a monthly survey distributed by The SSE Arena, Belfast, over 28% found out about the app from a friend.
Over 28% found out about the app from a friend or family member
This demonstrates what can be achieved with clear communication of user benefits and successful operational implementation that delivers fans’ expectations.
Rewarding fans for early arrival and loyalty
'App-only' Rewards and Bundles
One of the biggest advantages of using the app is the use of targeted discounts and bundles. Benefitting both fan and arena, these deals encourage early entry as well as spending on the app throughout the game and after.
13% of the STH customer base being responsible for 44% of the revenue at Giants games…
There are a range of rewards that are exclusive to app users. If you are a Belfast Giants season ticket holder (STH) you can enjoy 10% discount all year round. This reward was hugely beneficial to the club with 13% of the STH customer base being responsible for 44% of the revenue at Giants games.
Getting fans into the arena
Geo-fencing uses GPS to identify the fans whereabouts. This allows personalised push notifications to be sent to a fan spending time near the arena. Belfast Giants use this to attract fans to drink and eat in The Arena rather than opting to visit nearby bars before each game.
Personalised push notifications to be sent to a fan spending time near arena…
the ‘Ice Breaker’ discount of 10% off food and drinks an hour before the game for standard ticket holders, and 20% (an additional 10%) for season ticket holders logged in to the app. This exclusive offer to app users is the leading deal in getting fans into the arena.
Enhancing the fan experience
Download the app and take a look for yourself.
Available on both iOS and Android.
Request a demo.
We’d love to talk! Drop us a message below and one of the team will get right back to you.