How to Increase Digital Wallet Pass Adoption for Sports Fans

Boosting pass adoption is not about convincing people that digital wallets are worth it.  They already know that. The real challenge is convincing them to add your specific pass.

Digital wallet uptake in the UK is now accepted as mainstream.  65% of adults are registered for at least one mobile payment service and a massive 89% of 25-to-34-year-olds use either an Apple or Google Wallet.

What drives adoption isn't complicated. Give fans a genuine reason to add the pass and then make sure you ask them to do so at the right moment. Make your pass the easiest, most useful one to add and then explain why it should remain in their digital wallet.  

Loyalty Apps Make No Sense

For years, businesses built their loyalty programmes as apps. It made sense at the time, but not any longer.

Wallet passes beat loyalty apps for the simple reason that they are frictionless. There is no download, no account setup and no detour via the App Store. The wallet is already on the phone and adding a pass will normally take a matter of seconds.

Why Fans add a Wallet Pass

For fans, the pass just works.  It's in their digital wallet, always up to date and will get them through the gate without an app, a login, or even a mobile signal. They appreciate that matchday reminders will be sent straight to their lock screens. They enjoy the perks and points that are built into the pass and are proud to see their club's crest in their wallet.

• Always to hand — no physical loyalty card or email to present

• A nudge before kick-off — matchday reminders on the lock screen

• Always up to date — fixtures, seats and renewals 

• Rewards built in — discounts, priority tickets, points, all in one place

• Straight through the gate — no app, no login, no signal required

• Worn with pride — the crest and colours in their wallet for the whole season
  
  

Driving Pass Adoption

Now that you know what to do, here’s how to do it.

You can reach out to fans wherever they are in the world by using an email campaign that spells out what the pass is and what it's worth. You can ensure that QR codes are scattered around the ground — on seats, at the bars, on screens and merchandise tills. Or you can add NFC badges at the gate, the bars and the merchandise counters where a single tap does the job. Why not publish links to Instagram Stories after every announcement and result. Try pairing a pop-up QR code on your website with an add-to-wallet button. Or insert a branded QR code into the published matchday programmes.  

Whichever channel you choose remember that the same two basic rules apply. You must first identify the benefit and then give the pass something to do. The fewer steps there are between ‘here’s a pass’ and ‘it’s in your wallet’ the higher your addition rate will be.  Every extra tap is an opportunity for someone to give up before they have added the pass.

• Email campaign – explain what the pass is and what benefits it brings

• Profile link – ‘Add a Pass’ is pinned on every channel

• QR Codes around the Ground – on seats, bars, screens and merchandise tills

• NFC Badges – at the gate, the bars, the merchandise counters – just one tap

• Instagram Stories – story links appear after every announcement and result

• Website Pop-Up – QR code plus add-to-wallet button

• Matchday programme – a branded QR block in every programme

• The Two Rules – name the benefit and give the pass a job
  
  

Wallet Pass Retention: Why Adoption Doesn't End when the Pass is added

A pass that never changes is a pass that gets deleted.  The real test of an adoption strategy is not how many people add a pass in the first week but how many still have it months later.  The pass must do something.  Discounts, loyalty points priority ticket opportunities are all reasons to retain a pass.  

Think of the entire life cycle of a pass, not just about the moment of adoption.

Remember, nobody wants a pass.  They want the benefits it brings. 

Wallet passes have changed. Both Apple and Google platform updates are ensuring that member passes are becoming ever more visible and meaningful.  The businesses that get their pass strategy right now by focusing on the benefits of low friction and live updates, and those who remember also to cover both Apple and Google platforms, are the ones most likely to benefit as adoption rates climb.

Choose two acquisition plays and we at PassEntry will work with you to build the pass, the page and the tracking. Talk to us today to get your member pass into fans wallets in time for the new season.