Using data to boost ticket sales

Even non-IT industries like soccer are trying to increase their financial success with the help of digital processes. There are practical examples that show how recognizing the data available can contribute to success. Other industries can also benefit from the approach of customer-lead and risk-scoring.

Chants, swinging flags, excitement and awesome goals: This is how you imagine a successful afternoon soccer match. But the reality is sometimes different: poor athletic performance, bitter defeats and relegation to the lower league. It is no wonder why ticket sales decline and some fans do not renew their tickets for the new season. After all, a city has many other attractive leisure activities to offer.

Many soccer clubs are thus always thinking about ways to increase their ticket sales. Price adjustments are often unsuccessful in the medium term, especially if the athletic performance is not great. Available data sources can help make marketing more professional. For example, data can be used to identify trends and patterns of sales in order to optimize the fan approach.

A striker must not only keep an eye on his goals, but on the opposing goal as well. Likewise, the club must know its goals. In addition to television money and sponsorship, a secure income generated from season ticket sales is an essential source of income and is therefore one of the most important pillars for every professional soccer club. Data can be used to help stabilize or even expand this strategically important pillar, even in difficult sporting times.

The concrete approach here is to get a better understanding of the fans, especially the season ticket holders. Based on the example, we should ask a few questions: Which fans buy season tickets? Who do not renew their season ticket? What are the reasons for buying or not renewing? 

Answers to these questions can be used to identify new potential season ticket holders, to recognize, in good time, season ticket holders that are at risk of not renewing their tickets and to control the communication with these target groups accordingly. The concrete result of such an analysis should, for example, be in the form of an assessment (scoring) of the current season ticket holders with respect to the risk that they may not renew the season ticket. A list of potential new customers (leads) and their purchase probability can also be useful. Such results form the basis for a marketing campaign.

Even the best tactics are of no use if the players on the field cannot implement them. After the content and scope of the application case have been clearly defined and its added value has been presented, the implementation begins. It must be determined which resources are necessary and whether the club has access to them or has to rely on external partners.

Every striker wants the coveted trophy - but most goals do not result in a trophy. Such rankings are not only used to evaluate players, but also fans. This is because a scoring model can be developed based on the results of the previous data analysis. There are two perspectives: The Lead-Scoring lists the fans and visitors in the databases according to their similarities with season ticket holders and thus represents promising new customers and season ticket holders. On the other hand, Risk-Scoring assesses current season ticket holders with respect to the risk that they may not renew their tickets.

This scoring can be improved with further information about the respective person in order to address fans and customers. The aim is to create content and offers that are as personalized as possible to optimally meet the wishes of the fans.

The approach shown has already been successfully carried out by several soccer clubs.

They benefit from the following advantages:

• Decrease in the decline of season tickets (the churn rate has been reduced by up to 20%)
• Increase in the number new customers (the rate of new season ticket holders has increased by up to 30%)
• Increase in fan loyalty through positive feedback with more individual communication
• High ROI through quick implementation of the use case with clear added values

This approach can be used as a starting point for other industries to start or expand their data-driven marketing and sales campaigns with a success measurement or automation, for example. The Customer-Lead and Risk-Scoring can be transferred to other B2C and B2B areas to support marketing and sales processes.

Here are some thoughts:

• What kind of data does the company have about customers?
• Does the company use this knowledge for marketing and sales?
• Which customers are the most important ones?
• Which group/industry accounts for 80 percent of sales?
• Which customer groups have been lost, kept or acquired in recent years and months?
• How does the company communicate with these groups?
• How does the company assess its success?