Digital fan experiences for all
23 November 2022
Digital fan experiences are the business of EVENTIM Sports. We see ourselves and the EVENTIM.Tixx product platform as a digitalisation partner for clubs, associations, arenas and organisers from the sports, event and festival sector. The core elements of the SaaS-based platform are ticketing, CRM and merchandising.
Two clubs that successfully work with the EVENTIM.Tixx product platform are Hannover 96 and Deggendorfer SC. At first glance, the clubs have nothing to do with each other, but at second glance they have a lot in common. This is because both partners see the potential for further development in digitalisation and have the ambition to accompany their fans on the digital journey before and after visiting the stadium.
"Our product platform is now used by more than 150 partners. We are observing that the digital demands of the fans and thus of our partners are growing from season to season. Consequently, we have further developed our digital offers and are setting new standards. Ticketing always remains our anchor, but for years we have been diversifying in order to be able to cover the requirements in other areas as well, from CRM to merchandising. This is how we have grown from a pure ticketing provider to a digital platform provider. We are convinced that the league affiliation and the size of the administration department are not decisive for the fundamental path of digitalisation - the EVENTIM.Tixx product platform can be used modularly and according to the individual needs of the partner."
Jens Brämer, Managing Director of EVENTIM Sports
Hannover 96 with fully digitalised customer experience
Since the start of the cooperation between Hannover 96 and EVENTIM Sports two and a half years ago, the club has taken its digitalisation to a new level. The heart of the digitalisation strategy is the fan app. In addition to information about the club and the team, Hannover 96 fans can buy tickets via the app. The ticket online shop is integrated directly into the app, so that tickets can be stored there and accessed for stadium entry.
In addition to the ticketing solution, Hannover 96 uses even more modules of the EVENTIM.Tixx product platform. This includes Tixx-Merchandising, with the new merchandising online shop being launched in September. An ideal time, because brand new features went live at the same time as the launch. The highlights include the further optimised jersey configurator, which can be integrated directly on the homepage. The fan can configure an individual jersey with one click and put it in the shopping basket. This means that Hannover can rely on state-of-the-art technology not only in ticketing but also in merchandising.
Of course, the merchandising shop is also integrated into the fan app. The Tixx-SSO (Single-SignOn) enables the fan to log in to all connected systems with the same login data. As a result, only a one-time registration is necessary. The fan uses this login to access applications such as the ticket shop, the merchandising shop and the app.
At the same time, outdated customer data and duplicates are a thing of the past: parallel to the Tixx-SOO, the Tixx-Connect technology ensures the permanent exchange of customer data between the merchandising and ticket online shop and brings all data together in the Tixx-CRM. Here, the club has a 360° view of the fan and all customer data is available at all times.
To complete the fan journey with the app, payment is also integrated into the Hannover 96 app in addition to the purchase of tickets and fan articles via the app. As the Heinz von Heinen Arena is fully equipped with hardware and software from simply-X, it is also possible to integrate payment into the app. In the future, fans will be able to pre-order drinks and food via the app. As soon as the order is ready for pick-up, the fan will receive a push notification on their smartphone. Payment will also be processed via the app. This way, fans wait less in queues and see more of the game.
"It is important for us not only to talk about digitalisation, but also to put ideas into practice. The fan must always be at the centre of our activities, because technologies and offers that the fan doesn't like will not get us anywhere. We are therefore very happy to be working with EVENTIM Sports, a competent partner that can cover all areas of the fan experience and provide us with the best possible advice and support on our way."
Christian Katz, authorised signatory at Hannover 96
Amateur club goes big - Deggendorf thinks digital
At home in amateur sport and yet close to the border of professional sport, Deggendorfer SC was looking for a new ticketing system one and a half years ago that would meet the demands of a top club, but on the other hand would allow the capacities of smaller clubs and event organisers an easy way into digitalisation. EVENTIM.Tixx was chosen. Since then, things have been moving, and the club has become a pioneer in amateur sport. In short: The team is playing in the Oberliga, the structures are DEL-compatible.
The latest addition to the product platform for Deggendorfer SC is Tixx-Members. Since this season, the club has been relying on the cloud-based, fully digitalised member administration of the partner campai. It enables the special treatment of members, who can be contacted in a targeted manner. For example, they can be granted an exclusive discount or a right of first refusal in the ticket or merchandising online shop. However, the membership administration itself also has many advantages for the association.
Matthias Tausch from campai sums it up as follows:
"With campai, Deggendorfer SC has brought an important supporter into the team to digitalise and simplify the membership system. From now on, forms, applications and registrations can be handled and managed digitally. Mountains of paper and chaos on the desk are a thing of the past. Also the annoying (re-)printing of a membership card, because as pioneers we offer our partners the option of a digital membership card that can be stored in the wallet and found again."
In the Tixx-Onlineshop, Deggendorfer SC meets the demands of its fans. In addition to single tickets, both the ordinary season ticket and a 10-ticket are offered. The 10-ticket came as a response to the fans' wish for more flexibility when buying tickets without having to look for tickets every time. The 10-ticket allows access to ten matches, with the club giving away the eleventh match as a bonus.
Another flexible option: fans can purchase vouchers online. A particularly practical feature is that these vouchers can be redeemed in both the ticket online shop and the merchandising online shop. Since both shops come from the EVENTIM.Tixx product platform, the fan can log in to both the ticket and merchandising online shops with the same login data.
Another highlight for the club: All buyer and ticket data are aggregated in the Tixx-CRM. In this way, the Tixx-CRM serves as a data hub for all information from ticketing and merchandising. Data from membership management, mailings sent out and access control are also brought together in Tixx-CRM. The modern Tixx-Connect technology ensures in the background that all information is available in real time across all systems.
And that's not all: the data from Tixx-CRM can be used extensively for mailings and campaigns via Tixx-Campaign. Deggendorfer SC relies on Tixx-Campaign as a direct communication channel to the fans. In addition to matchday mailings and classic newsletters, the club also sends out automatic campaigns, a very successful classic being the birthday mailing.
Stefan Liebergesell, authorised signatory at Deggendorfer SC, explains why even an amateur club should venture into the big topics of digitalisation:
"When we entered into the partnership with EVENTIM Sports last year, there were of course quite a few topics that we had to deal with. From setting up the ticket system, to learning the CRM system, to creating and maintaining all the fan articles. But that sounds worse than it was - the consulting team was on hand to give me and my team advice and support, especially in the early days, so I was able to learn quickly. The results and the feedback from the fans show us that the work was worth it. Now it's about continuing to improve our products and services for fans bit by bit, which is extremely fun."