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Your guests loved the ride. The twists and turns had their cheeks flapping and their hair whistling away. They can’t wait to see their hilarious photos and share them with their friends.
Professional-quality shareable moments are a powerful driver for the Instagram generation. In the age where everyone’s got a camera in their pocket, attractions have always had an edge when it comes to selling their photography. You can’t take photos of yourself whilst on the ride. As such, people have been eagerly buying their on-ride photos since the late 1980s. But, for park operators, is there a way to boost your revenue from this part of the rollercoaster experience?
We’ve already covered how in-app photos make it easier for guests to find and purchase their photos in this blog. Now let’s take a closer look at some of the ways adding photos to your app ecosystem increases your sales.
With a post-purchase model, guests have the flexibility to decide when they buy their photos, rather than feeling pressured to purchase immediately at a kiosk. This extended consideration time leads to more thoughtful purchases and ultimately drives sales.
Photos are a powerful hook for your younger visitors. 18-24 year olds make up the largest demographic of Instagram users, and they’re always on the lookout for a good photo opportunity. But, they’re also looking for great experiences. In the traditional rollercoaster photo process, guests are faced with a choice when they get off a ride–head to the next one straight away to maximise their experience, or wait in line to buy a photo and lose that time.
In-app photos makes purchasing memories a flexible and friction-free experience, allowing them to make the most of their exploration time without worrying that they might be missing out on their photos.
Your theme park app gathers valuable data about your guests, allowing you to better understand their preferences and experiences. Does your data show your guest has really enjoyed their day? Give them a little poke to purchase their memories in the app. If they had a poor experience, you can choose not to shoot notifications their way that might upset them further. But, don’t let them disappear with that negative experience in their mind. Take the time to find out why they didn’t enjoy their day. After all, feedback is how you improve your guest experience.
With this data, you can create more effective marketing strategies. You can target the right guests at the right time, and tailor your offering. Or perhaps even send some personalised promotions their way. If someone’s a regular visitor who always purchases their ride photography, why not send them a unique offer to show them how much you appreciate them coming back?
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Getting more eyeballs on their app is often a struggle for attraction owners. You want as many people as possible using your app to make sure you’re collecting all of that valuable guest data as they roam around your park. After all–that insight is key to growing your secondary revenue streams. It allows you to target your marketing and notifications to move people towards a purchase. For example, you can use guest flow insights to pinpoint the best spots for activities, restaurants and facilities, driving revenue to food & beverage stops as well as your retail outlets.
To drive adoption, you’ll need to have more features in your app that incentivize visitors to download. In-app photos is a perfect way of doing this. By allowing your guests to see their ride photography and purchase it at their leisure, you’ll encourage them to download the app and keep it on their phone, even after they’ve left the park.
More downloads of your app, more sales. It’s a win-win!
When guests share their photos on social media, they become advocates for your park. This micro-influencing generates buzz and attracts more visitors, increasing your park's popularity. With some positive word of mouth recommendations, you’re sure to see an uplift in your admissions.
Offering a seamless photo sharing process through the app empowers your guests to do your promotion for you. Social media has a significant impact on your ability to draw in new guests. In fact, a study found that 27% of travellers make the initial decision to travel to a specific destination thanks to Facebook posts. This influence has likely increased due to the rise of social media influencers on younger platforms like TikTok with more engaging short-form content.
By implementing in-app photos into your guest experience, you’ll improve accessibility to your on-ride photography and promote purchases through a flexible model. Happier customers lead to more sales. It’s the perfect outcome, right? You’ll also gather more data about your guests’ buying behaviours, helping you to create precise marketing strategies.
We’re pleased to share that in association with Pomvom, we’ve successfully launched the in-app photos feature at Alton Towers. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, both from guests and operators at the park.
“Launched for the 2023 season, the new photo feature is already proving to be a fantastic digital option for guests visiting the Resort. It provides them with the perfect memento of their day, ensuring they have cherished memories to take home and share with friends and family.” - Chris Wilson, E-commerce Manager at Alton Towers.
Learn more about how we rolled it out here.
