From Stoneage to Phoneage
Finally, the fog is lifting, and life is starting to get back to normal, whatever that might be!
It's very clear that life has changed. Perhaps for many, some of these changes will turn out to be for the better. Particularly those who were not directly impacted by the horrendous death toll caused by the Covid pandemic.
A better work/life balance, more in tune with nature, and more time for our local communities. I'm sure everyone has some positive take out from this wretched experience.
In my industry sector of Visitor Attractions, it is clear that the pandemic has caused, or at least accelerated, a seismic shift in consumer behaviour. When you think back, where is the pleasure in standing in a long queue in the rain, kids moaning, when you are meant to be enjoying a family weekend out? Surely in this day and age, we have a solution for this?
The truth is, the solution has been here a while; it's just taken time to catch hold.
What I'm talking about, of course, is the full online digital experience. From finding the fantastic day out we’ve been dreaming of for 12 months to reserving a time to suit us. Next is the booking, paying, receiving tickets on my mobile phone, an itinerary of what's on, and a voucher for our tea.
Hardly rocket science, EasyJet has been doing this for 20 years. But for many visitor attractions, this has been somewhat of a revolution brought about by restrictions on capacity and the need to socially distance. Lifestyle changes are said to take about 90 days to bed in. From my calculations, we are now over 400 days since we could freely queue wherever we wanted.
So, no going back, and why would we? The experience SHOULD be far better. Firstly for the visitor, who has now planned his day out in advance. Secondly for the host who knows exactly who is coming and what they want to do. It’s so much easier to be prepared.
The only issue is that, in general, investment in the online processes has not kept up. Many attractions had previously invested heavily in Point of Sale technology, the traditional, face-to-face systems we used to sell things. Of course, many have invested in the attraction itself.
But events have passed us by. This is the phone age. Not only is there a necessity to extend the entire visitor experience online, we also need to make sure we do this, for the mobile device. After all, this is the tool that over 70% of us now use to make our bookings. We do this to see a show, to support our team, to go to the gym, to have our haircut, or even to go to the pub.
It's a new way of life; there is no going back. This is the Phone age..….and the good news is that this is exactly what Semantic provides…..soup to nuts, specifically for leisure venues, events and visitor attractions.
All industry sectors are different, and we believe that it is important that we know the ins and outs of ours. It's not all about design. Of course, it's important, first impressions and all that, but so is process, integration, ease of use, optimisation, navigation, and support. Keep tuned for further updates on how we are helping leisure businesses increase revenues and customer satisfaction as we exit the pandemic and enter the phone age.
Update - July 2021
Not sure where to start - take a look at our quick Stoneage to Phoneage Health Check. Take 5 minutes to complete the questionnaire and we'll get back to you with a tailor-made list of priorities.