The Experience
A professional hockey team recently entered into an agreement with Everi Payments Inc. (“Everi”) for Everi’s Venuetize® platform to create a convenient, personalized mobile experience, focused on driving commerce through rewards and incentives. Since the initial launch, the team’s mobile experience within its app has continued to expand by adding mobile wallet functionality, mobile ordering and express pickup, location specific discounts, cashier-less checkout at point of sale (“POS”), member rewards, and more.
Using the team app, guests may utilize Everi’s Venuetize® Mobile Wallet, allowing direct payment for food, beverages, and merchandise at POS locations. Guests can also order ahead on the app to skip the lines, opting to pick up at the POS or take advantage of in-seat delivery. Additionally, the team recently launched its team-branded wallet in its online retail store. This allows users outside of the venue to engage with the brand and use the wallet to earn and redeem rewards.
Providing guests with rewards and incentives was a focal point when developing the team app and mobile experience. The team’s currency, earned by rewarding users a percentage back for every dollar spent or issued as a bonus for early ticket renewals, has been a successful tool to drive adoption of the wallet since the app’s launch. Guests can also seamlessly transfer the earned currency in their wallet to family, friends, colleagues, etc.
The Results
The team’s e-commerce mobile solution was deployed during the 2020-2021 season and saw large adoption once guests became familiarized with the functionality. There was nearly 150% revenue growth from food & beverage transactions between the 2020-21 to 2021-22 seasons. Almost half of the revenue was generated by stored value usage, either from their team’s currency or ticket-based value, indicating a high adoption of the digital wallet benefits offered to members.
Following some strategic enhancements during the offseason and 2022-23 season, the team is striving to double, if not triple, their mobile wallet penetration across their user base, given their channel and category expansion.