27 Sep Will Southampton’s bPay Bands Make Better Fan Experience?

Southampton Football Club will be the first to give fans an all-in-one, wearable, contactless payment technology with Barclaycard’s exclusive bPay bands that do more than just show fans’ allegiance to the club.

“This represents a major step forward in the soccer industry, and sports industry at large, in fan and consumer engagement. The bPay band is not just about providing fans with a convenient and very easy vehicle to pay for their tickets and concessions, but it will also simultaneously be able to gather valuable data about the club’s fans. Southampton will then be able to in turn analyze that data, and hopefully, use it to continue to improve the overall fan experience for the Saints faithful.”

This revolutionary technology has the power to change the sports industry at large by reshaping fan experiences. Using the data from bPay bands, companies are able to differentiate and specialize their offers for stadium-goers from drink preferences to stocking preferred merchandise in the team store.

With this technology, loyal Southampton fans will have access to everything from ticket-less entry to hands-free payment to exclusive loyalty offers, and more.

“We are really excited to be working with Southampton FC,” says Mike Saunders, Barclaycard’s Managing Director for Digital Consumer Payments, “They have shown a clear vision for incorporating technology across the fan experience and a passion for growing their understanding of what’s important for Saints supporters. By working with them we plan to develop an ‘all-in-one’ match day experience and enhance the way the club engages with its fans.”

Understanding what Southampton fans value as a part of their fan experiences can help football clubs and sports teams across the board custom-tailor their product offerings, marketing strategies, and so forth to increase engagement with their most loyal fans.

As this technology continues to grow in popularity across the UK, it is only a matter of time before we see the impact of how this device will affect the business development and the direction of how soccer clubs can better target and appeal to their fans.

To read more on the Southampton Football Club’s bPay Bands check out the original piece on Business of Soccer: http://brinx.it/A9t