Ticketless Subscriptions: How the Houston Astros are Reaching a New Demographic of Fans
Posted on November 22, 2022 by National Sports Forum | Selling It | SUBSCRIBEBy: Camryn Henry
Dear Faithful Readers,
Warm Regards,
Melody Forstie
Marketing Coordinator
Description:
In sports, teams are always on the lookout for new ways to increase ticket sales. These new creative ideas can help teams fill more seats at games. Subscription ticketing is one innovative approach that has evolved over the years in different sports, specifically in Major League Baseball. Traditionally, fans had the option to purchase either single-game or season tickets. With ticketless subscription packages, fans can now lock in tickets ahead of time and later choose which games they want to go to that month. This option gives fans the opportunity to attend more games and is catered to those who value flexibility.
During this past season, the Houston Astros partnered with FanRally to roll out their own subscription ticket platform. Through their partnership, the Moon Shot Monthly Subscription was created. It is designed so that fans can choose two regular-season home games to attend each month. Game tickets can be reserved 30 days in advance up until just 6 hours before the first pitch on game day. This service offers three different subscription packages: Dinger, Long Ball, and Home Run. Each package allows fans to pick their seats from a list of designated sections and hold up to two reservations at once. These sections vary on each subscription package. The Home Run subscription comes with an added bonus of a $15 food and beverage credit for each game. Fans can also send a group reservation code to other Moon Shot subscribers and reserve seats with their friends and family. Another great perk to this service is that there is no long-term commitment and fans can cancel at any time.
Objectives:
During Covid, ticket sales were on hold as fans were unable to watch games from the stadium. Trevor Purvis, Senior Manager of Ticket Technology and Solutions at the Houston Astros, spoke about the team’s experience as they explored different avenues for bringing fans back to the ballpark. The Astros focused on catering to a new demographic through their ticketless subscription service as a way to usher fans back into the stadium. “One thought was that the season ticket itself may be going away and that we may need to develop a product that caters towards a demographic that doesn’t necessarily know on the front end which games they want to go to,” Trevor explained, “We also wanted to potentially cater towards a younger demographic and offer a more flexible package.”
The objective when partnering with FanRally was to create a simple, easy-to-use platform that would serve those who are looking for more flexible ticket options. With the younger demographic in mind, the Astros thought it would be a great idea to include the Ultra Club Patio as an eligible seating area for the cheapest of the three packages. This gives those who are on the go and possibly purchasing tickets last minute, the chance to attend two ball games a month for only $40 — all while enjoying an amazing view of the entire ballpark. The patio offers various food options and is a free-flowing area where fans can socialize as they watch the game.
Partnership:
The Astros and FanRally established their partnership during Covid as the team was exploring different options and drafting up new ideas for ticket sales. FanRally provides teams with a tech-enabled service that allows fans to manage their own reservations for the games they choose to attend. Other leagues, as well as other teams in Major League Baseball, have also partnered with FanRally to take advantage of this new tech-driven opportunity.
The development of this new subscription ticketing service has been very smooth from a sales perspective. FanRally is integrated with the ticketing system of the Astros, which Trevor says has made it easier for the Astros to implement this service. “When a ticket sells on their [FanRally] platform, it sells on our platform too,” Trevor explained, “And we don’t have to fill orders on the back end.” Any changes made on FanRally’s platform, whether it’s a ticket that has been redeemed or canceled, are instantly updated on the Astros platform as well.
Results:
Through their partnership with FanRally, the Astros have been able to successfully reach their target demographic with the Moon Shot Monthly Subscription. “We have seen a group of people that this definitely works for,” Trevor exclaimed as he discussed what results the team has seen since launching the service this season. They have also discovered that although fans can cancel at any time, most of those who have signed up have stayed through the season. The Astros have also seen a greater redemption rate of tickets than other clubs that have used FanRally’s service. “What we saw is about a 90 percent plus redemption rate. 9 out of every 10 tickets were being redeemed,” Trevor explained, “Most of the FanRally subscription sales were being converted to ticket sales on our side.” The Astros have seen that fans are not only subscribing to the ticketing service but are also redeeming both tickets and coming to the ballpark to enjoy the game.
Looking Ahead:
For this first season, the Astros wanted to focus on creating and introducing a platform that was simple; but moving forward, they may look to revamp their subscription service and expand its offerings. They want to continue to focus on FanRally and extend their reach to more fans. “It’s definitely a unique product that caters to a different demographic and that is geared towards ultimate flexibility,” Trevor emphasizes, “It really allows the fan experience to be a positive one at the end of the day.”
They hope to execute more strategic marketing going forward to better differentiate their ticket options and reach more fans from each of their target demographics. Trevor used the snowball effect to describe the Astros vision for this service in the future. He mentioned that although the number of subscribers may be somewhat small now, they expect that those numbers will continue to grow in the upcoming seasons! For more information on the Moonshot Monthly Subscription packages, visit https://astros.go.fanrally.com/shop.
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The NSF Salutes Our Partner
Tixr is a global experiential commerce leader transforming the ticket-buying experience. Born from a fan-focused frame of mind, the Tixr platform empowers large-scale facilities, teams, leagues, and events with simple solutions to highly complex ticketing and eCommerce problems. Leveraging sophisticated technology, Tixr creates products that go beyond ticketing to deliver a positive experience from the initial sale to the moment of arrival and beyond. Tixr proudly services over 500 of the most respected live entertainment brands in 40 countries, including more than 20 sports partnerships not limited to LIV Golf, Acura Long Beach Grand Prix, Riot Games, Professional Pickleball Association Tour, Fan Controlled Football, and Bell Bank Park. See upcoming events at tixr.com and learn more about Tixr at creators.tixr.com.
