More than 40% of sports fans worldwide abandoned concession lines in the past 12 months – without making a purchase – because of excessive waiting, according to a research report from Oracle Hospitality Sports and Entertainment.
The Fan Experience: Changing the Game with Food and Beverage Technology was published in partnership with Turnkey Intelligence, an industry-leading market research provider. The global study surveyed more than 3,500 sports fans in eight countries – Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the USA – and focused on uncovering their top priorities. Most importantly, the survey aids venue operators by identifying ‘pain points’, and solutions that are designed to trigger greater attendance and spark sales.
“Aside from safety and overall venue environment, fans across the world place food and beverage above all else when ranking the elements that are most important to their fan experience,” said Charlie Wager, Oracle Hospitality director.
“Our cloud platforms provide operators with the enterprise agility they need to remain innovative and responsive to change, readily incorporating the most advanced technologies that come along to make the fan experience even more memorable.”
Counter to current trends of spending exorbitantly on video boards and pre-game entertainment to fill seats, the research indicates employing technology to enhance food and beverage may yield a greater return on investment. Indeed, the survey findings reveal the under-utilization of food and beverage technology and confirm the significant demand for it. For example, mobile technology to improve ordering, payment and delivering loyalty programs is a promising path to greater sales, and is supported by results, including:
• 68% of US fans and 60% of international fans said they would “probably” or “definitely” use in-seat ordering if available at their stadium.
• US fans, on average, said they would spend an additional US$20 for food and beverage if wait times were cut in half – representing a 43% increase in typical expenditure (per party, per game).
• 27% of US fans and 14% of international fans stated they are members of a loyalty rewards program offered by a team or stadium.
“The live event experience continues to be the optimal method of consuming entertainment,” said Haynes Hendrickson, Turnkey Intelligence’s president. “We have found that technology can positively affect the event experience and the bottom line of a venue. By embarking on this research study with Turnkey Intelligence, Oracle has demonstrated its commitment to excellence in our industry.”
July 14, 2016
