The firm has released new research that explores how digital loyalty programs can create emotional connections and 360-degree sports fan profiles that enhance engagement and loyalty beyond team performance.

In the rapidly evolving digital age, sports entertainment companies are grappling with the challenge of meeting the ever-changing needs and expectations of fans. Despite the potential benefits of loyalty programs, such programs have often been overlooked within the industry due to their complicated and unsuccessful track record. Many leaders within the industry have identified that their previous loyalty programs have not been successful, as they followed the same loyalty scheme as hotels and industries. To help the sports industry implement a loyalty program that meets the needs of fans in today’s world, global IT research and advisory firm Info-Tech Research Group has published its latest research, Grow Your Top Line With a Digital Loyalty Program.

“The business of sports is not only about selling tickets, but it is an experience-led business. The challenge is to provide 360-degree fan experiences pre, post, and beyond the game and venue,” says Elizabeth Silva, research analyst at Info-Tech Research Group. “Therefore, to grow and maintain their fan base, sports organizations need to focus on giving holistic experience for fans throughout the year, even during the off-season.”

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According to the firm’s research, organizations that fail to prioritize service culture and delivery or lack a service recovery strategy may struggle, as service culture and delivery are an integral part of the loyalty fans have toward a business. Therefore, it’s crucial to understand both the business and the fans in order to design an effective loyalty program. Organizations with no current database of useful information to determine who their fans are, or no ability to generate accurate reports and analytics, may find this task challenging. Further, ensuring compliance with security and network requirements can pose a challenge for certain organizations, especially when it comes to safeguarding sensitive data and facilitating a loyalty program at the same time.

Info-Tech’s research advises organizations to leverage existing digital loyalty program architecture in sports entertainment and conduct analysis to create a successful program that adds value to the business. A strategic and holistic approach based on business reference architecture and value chain analysis should be taken to determine the program’s impact. Additionally, comparative analysis between existing sports and adjacent hospitality loyalty programs can provide insights into industry best practices and the latest trends.

Being able to properly enable the digital economy through a digital loyalty program is important and can only be done when there is business alignment, meaning high satisfaction between the IT department and the business. Info-Tech’s CIO Business Vision benchmarking report shows that most sports, entertainment, arts, and culture organizations are in the 70-80% satisfaction mark, making them a trusted operator. However, being in this ranking area makes it more difficult to enable the digital economy and move up the loyalty ladder. The CIO Business Vision benchmarking report categorizes IT departments based on their business stakeholder satisfaction using the following labels:

• Innovator: Information & Technology as a Competitive Advantage
• Business Partner: Effective Delivery of Strategic Business Projects
• Trusted Operator: Enablement of Business Through Applications and Work Orders
• Firefighter: Reliable Infrastructure and IT Service Desk
• Unstable: Inability to Consistently Deliver Basic Services

The firm’s research shows that loyalty is key to driving future brand and revenue growth. In order to achieve this, businesses must create a loyalty program that is engaging and predictable, and they must recognize that data is the program’s currency. By combining these two elements, businesses can develop an interactive and engaging digital loyalty program that will transform how they compete in the entertainment industry and enhance their relationship with their most loyal fans.

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