The movie theatre business is a tough one. In 2016, the number of tickets sold dropped to its lowest point since 1982 by some measures despite rising revenues.
One reason for this decline is competition from other entertainment options, including streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. And although people have all sorts of ways to stay home and watch movies, there are still things that encourage theatres, like cinema seating and movie-watching experience, to spend more time and money inside their locations. Here are five ways theatres can attract customers
Remote purchasing options
When it comes to movie tickets, there are several ways to buy them. You can go online and purchase the tickets directly from a website or app. If you’re looking for something more convenient and cost-effective, opting for a traditional method may be the best.
Stronger rewards
Make sure rewards are easy to earn. Customers should know what they’ll get and how long it will take them to get it. Make rewards redeemable with the customer’s preferred payment method (credit card or gift card).
Giving customers the option of using their existing credit cards instead of creating a new one helps them feel more comfortable while also saving time that could be spent checking out at checkout stands in the theatre lobby.
Be sure rewards are exclusive and desirable enough so that people want to use them. If you have an incentive program where customers earn points by buying movie tickets online and then spending those points on concessions at your theatre, ensure some tasty treats are involved. People remember those points once they’ve accumulated enough for a small bag of candy on Halloween night.
Consider whether your rewards program is relevant enough for each customer demographic group. Millennials like earning badges more than old folks do; Gen Xers prefer being able to re-watch movies on home video platforms rather than at drive-in theatres (and vice versa).
Baby Boomers enjoy collecting stamps from around the world as part of their international travel experiences rather than digital versions from other countries’ capital cities.
Better seats
You could fill your movie theatre with more comfortable cinema seating, have more legroom and have better sight lines. Or you could invest in a sound system that would make the movie experience all the more enjoyable for everyone.
Mobile ticketing
Mobile ticketing is the future of movie theatre ticket sales. You can purchase your tickets at home and scan them at the theatre with your smartphone. This allows you to skip long lines at the box office and use a more secure payment method than cash or paper tickets. Since most people carry their phones everywhere, mobile ticketing is convenient and makes it easy for customers to purchase tickets on their terms.
Wrapping up
There’s no doubt that movie theatres can improve their customer experience and encourage spending by making more remote purchasing options available. This means that customers can buy tickets through mobile devices or kiosks, which will allow them to avoid long lines and ensure they have enough time before the show starts. It also means providing rewards points that can be redeemed later for discounts on future purchases. All of these things will help keep patrons coming back again and again because they know what they want when they go.
