Feature Redemption
they noticed any trends? Absolutely, Ruth says: “Technology and gifts you might not go out and buy on a daily basis, things like Bluetooth accessories, karaoke mics, sound bars – we’ve seen a real increase in ‘techy’ gifts.” This fits in with the idea of
perceived value in the prize, something PMS is acutely aware of. Ruth adds: “There’s an expression, ‘players make winners’; if we’re able to offer something that looks added value, something the consumer might not be able to instantly work out the RRP for, that’s when people are more likely to want to play and be much more excited about winning. What we try and do within our offering is to have impulse small items with what would be a low retail price right the way through so we can cover all the bases.” It’s not all about the tech though – 2016 was a huge year for plush, and toys in general. Ruth says: “The toy market in the UK has had its best year ever, and within that plush as a category has had a huge year as well. Cuddly toys are really in demand, especially a cuddly toy or character that is widely recognised. For example, we have made plush toys of Masha and the Bear, it’s one of the biggest brands worldwide with over 16 billion views of their webisodes on YouTube. That’s one of our top brands at the moment. E.T. and Paddington are also doing really well for us because parents recognise and love those
Ice Cream Dream
brands too; if the parent and the child both want the toy, it’s a double whammy.
DC Comics 4 Player ticket Pusher
John Brennan likens the role of the FEC to retail in this instance; “A recognised license is a great tool to convey a sense of perceived value to the customer. They will play for particular goods – if you have a high value item there are people who will come back again and again for that. From the operator’s point of view, they’re retailers. They’re buying at wholesale and selling at retail, for all intents.”
Payment technology Contactless payments are becoming increasingly popular in entertainment venues worldwide, with the UK gradually catching on to the benefits. Steve Short heads up BANDAI NAMCO Management Solutions, and he is a big fan: “Although the market for cashless systems in the UK and Ireland is still quite small relatively speaking, there is definitely a groundswell of interest in the concept. Where we have installed the Embed system, customers have been extremely positive about the experience and there is evidence that going cashless has given players the incentive to actually spend more money on-site than they would have done using cash.”
22
www.globalamusementsandplay.com
Steve feels that the time is ripe for cashless because the concept is gaining ground in our everyday lives. “Contactless payments are now the default on many public transport systems and the number of contactless cards has increased by almost 30 per cent since last year,” he says. In fact, according to the UK Cards Association the use of contactless cards in the UK increased by 239.7% in July 2016 compared to the previous year.
Ticketless Sega’s general manager of sales, Justin Burke, is all too aware of a possible new trend evolving in US FECs: ticketless redemption. He says: “Some locations in Europe, and many in the US, are contactless, and the next big stage in the US is not only paying with a card but collecting your tickets on that card. It’s quite controversial, some people think it is the way forward, some think it takes away the theatre of winning those streams of tickets; it’s a divided camp. Personally, I think the theatre of the tickets coming out and people walking around with buckets of tickets is part of the experience. In America they are trialling ticketless games, and it will save a lot of money for operators; and we have a generation growing up with mobile pay, with contactless, so for them it’s second nature.
February 2017
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28