2. How Does Customer Experience Apply in the Sport Ecosystem?

Last week we showcased how effectively Starbucks is using CEM to establish themselves as a “love brand”. But what about the Sports industry? Does CEM play a major role within the sports ecosystem?

Take any sports team or club, their customers are their fans and what sports clubs really want are their fans to be loyal to them irrespective of the outcomes on the playing field. When it comes to the customer journey of a sports fan, it becomes a tad bit easier for sports clubs because their customers already relate to their club and that is why they are their fans. However, the fascinating part about fans is that they usually show their emotions towards their clubs no matter if it's positiv or negative. The real challenge now lies in building fan loyalty, and this is where CEM can play a big role in sports. 

When it comes to sports, fans are more emotionally invested than rationally and at the end of the day what generally impacts their overall experience is the sporting result. But since there can only be one winner in sports it doesn't necessarily mean both teams need to lose on the business front. For this, clubs need to focus on their customer experiences. A sports club's customer base can be widely divided into two categories - the in-stadium fans and the fans who are watching the sport in the front of a screen at home or at bars. The clubs need to ask themselves - 'what can I do differently for my fans to have a better experience?'

Most clubs in the past have done a lot of innovative things for their fans in the stadium, but in today's digital world the in-stadium audience is only a small piece of the pie at your disposal. Especially with the Covid-19 restrictions in place and games happening behind closed doors for the foreseeable future, engaging with your fans at home and giving them a unique experience becomes more important than ever. Nowadays, Clubs communicate to their fans via more than one channel and all these touchpoints are important gateways for the club to create their own unique experiences and meet their fans’ expectations. Because at the end of the day, happy fans are loyal fans and loyal fans bring loyal sponsors. And I don’t need to tell you the importance of loyal sponsors in sports. 

Today, we have just scraped the surface of CEM and in our further articles we will further delve in to the subject as we discuss the best practices of CEM in Sports.