Following a limited trial last year, The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is to go live with an m-commerce approach to cutting queues and increasing sales of beers and pies at its Twickenham stadium, as it seeks to combine mobile ordering, payments and loyalty into a simple app from m-payment platform ZNAP.
Fans can use ZNAP to pre-pay for food and drinks at six bars around the stadium, slashing queuing time. The service will be available at the upcoming RBS 6 Nations games at Twickenham Stadium, where England face Ireland and Wales.
Back in 2013 at the QBE Internationals trial, a select group of fans were given the opportunity to download ZNAP and pre-order food and drinks at specific Twickenham Stadium bars. After ordering, fans went to special Express ZNAP Pick-Up Queues to scan their code and collect their pre-prepared orders. Increased volume and faster serving times were achieved without the addition of staff, new infrastructure or expanded premises. As a result fans spent less time queuing and more time enjoying the game.
“We want match days at Twickenham Stadium to be as enjoyable as possible for fans,” says Sophie Goldschmidt, Chief Commercial Officer, RFU. “We’re constantly looking for ways to improve the fan experience by embracing new technologies and innovations. We chose ZNAP because the platform enables us to speed up shopping times, reduce queues and deliver special offers and loyalty rewards. We hope our first foray into m-commerce will make a big difference to fans.”
In the trial, the first 500 downloaders were given a £5 voucher, 40% of which were redeemed (average redemption rate for vouchers at a sporting event is 3%[) and some 888 people downloaded ZNAP with 597 people registered for use; a conversion rate of 67%. A total of 1011 items were purchased with an average value of £5.
“After passing rigorous tests at the world’s biggest rugby stadium, we’re delighted to be expanding our offering for fans,” says Hooman Mazaheri, European CEO, ZNAP. “ZNAP can add value to almost every aspect of the event experience. From buying and storing tickets to pre-purchasing merchandise and refreshments, we expect that ZNAP® will soon become a one-stop shop for event goers everywhere.”
