ASK AN EXPERT
KAREN LOLLICH
Assistant Director of Finance, Fort Worth Zoo
W
e started using data analytics in May 2013 to get results more
quickly and become more pro-active with our decision- making. Prior to this we were always a month out with our reports and playing catch-up. Data analytics has helped
with product sales, enabling us to determine what's selling, optimise our sales, produce inventories and decide on staffi ng levels at outlets. It's a comprehensive data
source to track attendance and produce visitor statistics, so we can make staffi ng decisions that keep costs down and improve the visitor experience.
proactively bring staff in or move existing staff at slower locations to the busier areas. Overall, it’s made us much
more effi cient, cutting down the hypotheticals and “what ifs”. We’ve been able to drill down into what’s happening and draw accurate conclusions about why it’s happening. For example, when our
Traditionally, we looked at
revenue when making staffi ng decisions, but now we're able to look beyond revenue and focus on more accurate predictors like the number of transactions (regardless of how high or low the revenues are). We've found more transactions equals more guests. By further breaking it down by hour, we can
attendance revenues were up but parking revenues were down, we assumed that it was because there’s a fi nite number of parking spaces. However, analytics showed it was because the attendance was driven by more members visiting, and members receive complimentary parking. We also discovered a trend for buying tickets online, but a percentage of those going unredeemed.
The biggest challenge is
learning to use a complex system. If you don’t have knowledge of all of the data sources, it can be hard to know which data to use for a report. I create daily point of sale
reports, and monthly reports on attendance, promotions and event sales. Geographical data allow the marketing department to measure the results of campaigns. We’ll start looking in more
detail at our members, so we can compare their behaviour with non-members. We'll also start trying to infl uence behaviour and spending in-park, for example, to see how far people will travel in the park to redeem offers.
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fortworthzoo.org @FortWorthZoo
Data analytics can inform loyalty programmes, so customers can earn incentives when they spend. A loyalty scheme can improve the customer experience, whilst giving a reason for further data collection
TOM BETTLES
Marketing Manager Green 4 Solutions
W
hen collecting data it’s important to have a strategy about what
you’re going to collect and how you’ll use it. A current trend is for getting better quality data on the customer from ticket purchases and other spend. This information can inform targeted marketing, which brings down marketing costs. We’ve seen revenue increases of 7 to 8 per cent in the fi rst year of using data analytics with joined-up technology. Many attractions don't know
who’s actually coming, so they spend too much money on above-the-line marketing campaigns. It’s much cheaper if operators can capture the data and do the marketing
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come in the off-peak months. The resulting summer skiing membership now accounts for 23 per cent of revenue. We recommend “little and
themselves. The more you can fi nd out about the customer, the more you can design products and offers to encourage repeat business. For example, the Snow
Centre, the UK’s most profi table indoor real snow centre, discovered there was a market for people who wanted to ski in the summer. They didn't come in winter as they don't like it when it's busy, but they were happy to
often” from a data collection point of view, so that customers aren't overwhelmed or put off. Initially we suggest fi nding out fi rst name, last name and email address. One of our clients managed to establish that each email address collected is worth about $11 (£7, €9) to them. The more you engage with the customer, the more you can capture. For example, fi nd out their birth date by tempting them with a birthday offer. The Eden Project has 10 to 15 audience categories which it needs to engage in different ways, so it’s important for them to know enough about their customers to ensure they send them targeted emails.
Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital
They don't want people to opt out of the mailing list because they are receiving too many irrelevant emails. Data analytics can also
be used to inform loyalty programmes, so customers can earn points or incentives when they spend money. When done correctly, a loyalty scheme can improve the customer experience, whilst giving a reason for further data collection. A card swipe at the point of sale, venue entry and other data collection points will identify the customer so that data is collected, without detracting from the experience. This is very popular in the retail and sports industries, but attractions are only just starting to to embrace this. ●
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green4solutions.com @Green4Solutions
AM 1 2015 ©Cybertrek 2015
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