A polar bear at Point Defiance Zoo, Tacoma, Washington. The zoo has mastered data analytics
We got our return on investment within six months, with the
biggest savings on labour. We’re going to use analytics to reduce utility costs and implement a customer loyalty programme
DONNA POWELL
General Manager Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium
W
e went live with data analytics in January 2013, for our zoo and
aquarium, which receives 700,000 visitors a year. Our main aim was to understand the customer and improve communications with them, so we could provide a better service and experience. We now have a rich dialogue with them throughout the year. One of the first things we
discovered was that people were buying tickets online in the middle of the night. This changed the way we do promotions. Instead of sending out daytime offers that
AM 1 2015 ©Cybertrek 2015
codes, so they can target those areas in promotions. Our education programme
customers need to act on by 5pm, we started sending them out at midnight to redeem by 7am. This led to a 40 per cent increase in click through. Our online sales have
increased by 800 per cent in the last two years and 32 per cent are being bought in the middle of the night. We’ve also been able to inform our media buyers of visitors’ zip
manager has used data analytics to maximise capacity on our education camps. We now have the highest attendances in 10 years because he can look at the data, see which camps are selling out and add another, or if some aren’t selling well, he can do an email blast or offer a discount. Data analytics allows us to
predict attendance according to weather forecasts and history. On the last 4 July, we predicted attendance to within 100 people. This means, for the first time ever, we’ve been confident enough to cut the allocation for part- time labour and build next year’s budget accordingly.
We got our return on
investment within six months. The biggest savings have been on labour and the rest of the benefits have come from increased earnings. Next, we’re going to use analytics to reduce utility costs, manage the animal records and to implement a customer loyalty programme to improve membership lifetime and the customer experience. Before we started using data analytics, our point of sale information was closed. Now, we can query the system and get information in seconds. Anyone who wants to find out more about their customers can benefit from data analytics: that data is gold.
n
pdza.org @PtDefianceZoo
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