Guest-facing mobile apps: Leisure's latest game-changer.

The implementation of mobile technologies is far past optimizing websites for mobile and creating seemingly useless apps that people would delete the second they stepped out of the venue.

Technologies such as GPS and QR codes have allowed companies to implement several strategies that will enable them to improve the visitor’s experience substantially. With a few improvements, these technologies could be exploited in many more ways to adjust your business to the “new normality.”

Some examples of mobile developments are…

1. Pay as You Go

The “Pay as You Go” technology charges customers for the amount of time that they spend at the venue. Someone who comes in for a quick stroll might pay €5, while a group of friends who decide to make a day out of it will pay €30 each. By doing this, you are giving people the possibility to try out your venue without the sticker shock that might come with it. If they like it, they will stay for longer and keep on paying, but if they decide to leave, you have already made a small sale that would not have been possible otherwise.

In these times, some people might only feel comfortable being at a Zoo for an hour, while others will stay for the whole day. Allowing people to pay more or less according to how much time they spend gives them a much-needed sense of freedom and encourages them to try new things! This will surely increase traffic in venues.

2. Location-Based Messaging

Location-based messaging allows venues to send push notifications to people's phones when nearby a specified hotspot, such as a venue itself or a new attraction. These notifications can encourage users to enter the venue, perhaps offering a small discount when they have been repeatedly close, but never actually committed.

An adequately designed location-based marketing campaign is sure to increase cross-selling and order value, as they can be prompted to visit a gift shop, buy a hot cup of coffee for the cold weather, or even try out a new premium experience, also increasing cross-selling. All without having to put up banners all over the place and catching people's attention at the right time.

3. Crowd Control

Crowd control is FUNDAMENTAL nowadays, with people feeling genuinely sick to their stomach when coming into a crowded place. By using the GPS already installed on people’s phones, venues can monitor and create heat maps of where people are gathering, or where traffic is slower. With this information, rearranging the venue to have a more spread-out crowd is easy, and you can even go back and see how the changes reflect on gatherings.

By managing crowds, businesses can make sure to have a busy venue that turns them a profit, while at the same time making it safe and comfortable for visitors.  

People are sure to appreciate when they are able to keep a distance from others, making them feel safer and confident that the business cares about their health and well-being. In the long term, people will be more likely to return, as they know they will feel comfortable there.

4. Mobile Advertising

It’s no secret that mobile ads have become a big cliché for companies, with almost every business partaking in it. Well, there is a good reason for that! Mobile ads allow campaigns to have multiple touch points, have higher click rates, and reach a broader market, all in a device that people have with them ALL. DAY. LONG., and pick up to see more times in a day than we are proud to admit. 

With mobile advertisements, venues can tell their customers that they’ve reopened or that they are running a big sale whenever, wherever.

5. Content Modules

Content modules encompass just about everything under the sun. Venues can add opening hours, interactive maps (again, using GPS), attraction information, links to social media, events calendar, additional options for customers to purchase, and much more. I won’t bore you with the details. Allowing customers to have all this information in their palm is refreshing. It takes out the need for Googling opening dates and scouring blogs for event dates and information on attractions.

This is a way for venues further to reduce visitor touch points during the current crisis, as there is less need for printed-out maps (which often have to be modified and re-printed), event schedules, food menus, etc.

6. Mobile tickets

Lastly, mobile tickets. Yet another cliché that most companies are surprisingly bad in. By mobile tickets, we mean fully branded and easily accessible electronic tickets, not email attachments that people still decide to print out or just store at the deep end of their promotions inbox. Having e-tickets in a mobile app will ensure that the entry to the venue is streamlined and efficient, with everyone knowing where exactly to find their golden ticket.

Today, these are even more important. Not only do they reduce the customer touch-points involved with checking and scanning a physical ticket, but they also effectively reduce conglomerations at the box office, allowing you to keep everyone at a safe distance. 

But there’s more! Cutting down on the use of printed entries can save venues money by limiting the number of printed tickets. It can also reduce paper consumption for both customers and businesses, lending a much-needed hand to mother nature.

So, implementing mobile technologies should seem more of a no-brainer than before. With people interacting with their phones now more than ever and in an effort to satisfy the leisure trilemma (read more here!) in a way fitting to the 21st Century investing in mobile technology for venues is the way to go.

This is where Convious comes in! Tap is our latest inclusion in our portfolio of SaaS solutions for businesses in the leisure industry. With it, companies can have access to a personal, fully-branded wallet, an additional direct channel to sell tickets to customers, a content module to show opening hours, maps, calendars, and more, and a messaging module that allows companies to send customised messages to customers at any time. All of this is developed by us, with no direct development costs for the company. 

What mobile strategies are you most interested in developing
for your business? We would love to hear from you, and if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to contact us!