Wigan Athletic has implemented cloud-based ticketing and fan engagement solution Talent to improve the purchasing experience and boost sales ahead of the 2019-20 season.
The Championship football club has teamed up with business software and services provider Advanced to integrate its Talent solution, which launched on the mobile-first website last month.
The firm reports that online season ticket sales shot up by 200 per cent during the first week of Talent going live.
Wigan is using the solution to create a personalised ticketing experience for its fans, using it for ticket sales, as well as match day and seasonal hospitality.
The Championship club will also benefit from the solution’s integration to Microsoft’s cloud-based reporting tool, Power BI. The reporting capabilities will be available throughout the club and enables real-time executive reporting, data visualisation and analysis over revenue, ticket sales and fan data and a host of performance metrics defined by the club.
Jonty Castle, head of business development and customer experience at Wigan Athletic, said: “The ticketing sector has seen rapid developments over the last few years so it was important to conduct a full review of the market. Advanced and its Talent solution impressed us with its ability to not only transform the online experience for our fans – which was critical – but also help us transform our back office.
“Ticket revenues remain a critical stream for our club, and the ability to report back real-time to the CEO will ensure we are well-placed to keep informed and make the right decisions about our ticketing strategy in a more timely manner.”
Talent will also be used to profile new and loyal fans to engage with them online through targeted and tailored communications based on their preferences and interests. The club will benefit from a data-rich and connected view of customer behaviour to inform fan engagement strategies – giving it complete control of its customer data – as well as tools to help it comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Wigan Athletic’s ticket office manager, Michael Jolliffe, added: “Advanced has a strong track record in the sports sector and I have complete confidence in its ticketing software.
“Over the last few months, we have been working collaboratively with Advanced to implement a back-office system that will help increase our club’s volume of online ticket sales through a mobile first site and deliver an intuitive online journey to encourage self-service for our fan base. We are really pleased with the final outcome and are confident Talent will help us deliver a first-class service for our fans ahead of the 2019-20 season and beyond.”
Advanced’s tool is already used by Southampton Football Club, Goodwood, and Harlequins Rugby Union.
Image: Dan Farrimond
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