Theme parks are a great way to offer recreational experiences for people of all ages. Many consider it a place of escape where the big burdens of everyday are left behind. Being a very competitive environment, theme parks around the world need to focus on delivering unique and tailored services from the very beginning.
Ticketing & Access control for a Theme Park
Most transactions take place in the online environment. In the case of a theme park, the most common online transactions involve the purchase of tickets and merchandise. Usually, clients can choose from ticket categories with pre-defined benefits included. For instance, a standard pass might guarantee entrance inside the park with a limited number of rides included in the ticket price, while the special pass might include everything that’s included in the standard pass plus some additional rides and parking.
What if one of your clients is interested in buying the standard pass with parking included?
The ticket categories mentioned above are not designed to fulfill the need of buying a standard pass with parking included. This might be considered as an impediment for some clients, influencing their purchasing behavior. Instead, a fully customizable ticket option can have a positive impact on the user experience and loyalty. We thought about this inconvenience and we decided to allow our clients to be in charge of customizing their tickets and therefore their experience. The screenshot below gives an idea of how this process would work. The standard pass is mandatory and as previously mentioned, it only includes entrance and access to a limited number of roller coasters. Based on individual preferences, clients can simply add their own optional extras. This way, guests will only pay for what they choose to experience. Paying one price results in guests paying for attractions that won’t be used or experienced. If someone decides to visit a theme park only to spend time with the family, there is no reason for that individual to pay the same amount as the others.
Cashless payments for a theme park
Once at the theme park, customers have their unique electronic tickets ready to be scanned and paired with an NFC/RFID wristband or card. As soon as the pairing process is completed, the NFC chip will have all the relevant information stored in it, meaning that the actual ticket becomes a cool personalized bracelet or card that can be kept as a souvenir.
Besides checking access control rights, the NFC/RFID wristband can also be used as a cashless payment solution. Clients can opt to add credit prior to their arrival and afterwards as well, therefore eliminating the need of paying by using cash or debit/credit card. Maybe one of the clients didn’t add the dining experience as an optional extra when purchasing the ticket. In this case, the wristband can easily become a friendly payment tool. It can be topped up online through a mobile app or by visiting a physical top-up station inside the theme park. This way, transactions can be completed in a matter of seconds, considerably decreasing the waiting time.
Reports that can be used strategically based on purchase behavior within a theme park
Adopting this kind of solution brings many benefits but having access to detailed reports regarding the purchasing behavior throughout the park is one that shouldn’t be ignored.
Customers may be required to provide details such as their name, e-mail address, age and city to complete the ticket purchase. Of course, their consent will be granted before collecting this kind of information. By doing this, theme park managers can approach strategic marketing campaigns, based on demographics. It is of great importance to communicate with your audience and keep them updated with special offers designed to increase the likelihood of having them back in the near future.
Being well informed regarding the peak hour’s arrivals can also be important for a theme park manager. To avoid congestions when demand for rides, activities and facilities fluctuates during the day, optimizing the visitors stream in the park and minimizing waiting times is very important. Theme park planners can get accurate estimates to peak visitor volume from the available reports, therefore delivering a professional service for the guests.
The theme park environment is a very competitive one, where innovation should always be brought to the table. The changing demands of the consumers need to be catered since they always demand innovations and unique experiences. For additional information on how you can create and deliver an Economy as a Service for your theme park, feel free to contact us!