The wave of technological innovation that has washed over the economy and society in the past five years has been remarkable. The Internet and mobile broadband have enabled an unprecedented level of novel technologies, new companies, and service platforms. Sure enough, technology is slowly changing the sports landscape as well. The ticketing business may soon be entirely digital, innovative algorithms have redefined statistics, and media giants are shifting their content to online and mobile platforms. Among all this, fans now have the ability to upgrade their seats during a game or concert directly from their smartphones.
Competition in the seat-upgrade market is as fierce as the current crop of NBA and NHL playoff matchups. Four apps are currently vying for market share and attention of professional and collegiate organizations across the country. Not only do they provide an extraordinary service for fans, but also an enormous boon for organizations and management. The combinations of social media and apps that connect organizations to fan bases have enabled them to obtain fresh new data collection on consumer behavior. These technologies provide direct analytics that will improve the overall fan experience.
Teams will use the new data to focus on generating revenue per-fan during games, optimize customer service, improve pricing, and tailor marketing strategies directly to the individual. Each business is competing in a marketplace that’s fast-paced and quickly evolving. We’ve done our own market research to present the advantages and disadvantages between the seat moving and in-game experience apps available to fans of their local teams.
Debut: December 2011
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Roster: Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Chicago Fire, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Mammoth, Denver Nuggets, Georgia Tech, Kansas City Royals, L.A. Clippers, L.A. Galaxy, Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, San Jose Earthquakes, University of Southern California, and University of Tennessee.
What’s to Love: The start-up was first to launch in this competitive marketplace and their roster of organizations is reflective of that advantage. The company boasts business relationships with organizations in five major professional leagues and collegiate athletics. Their product is also the official upgrade partner of Major League Baseball’s ‘At The Ballpark’. ExpApp integrated with the organization’s native app, and is very user-friendly. The start-up has a well-defined brand and very strong relationship with its customer base judging from its social media accounts. ExpApp has built a fantastic bullpen of organizations to work with and is clearly the leader in the marketplace.
Needs Some Work: Doing initial research into the company, it took quite awhile (in Internet time) to find the company. Some basic SEO work should help fix that. Not having a presence in the app store as a mobile platform company could end up being an issue. Lastly, their product fails to offer discounts on concessions and merchandise. Giving fans the incentive to spend more inside the stadium will make for a better partnership down the line.
Debut: December 2012
Hometown: Miami, FL
Roster: Miami Dolphins, Miami Hurricanes
What’s to Love: LeapSeats launched in December 2012 for Miami Dolphins home games. The start-up is developed under the RSE Ventures umbrella, owned by Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. The company’s backers certainly provide for funding sources and network to help scale its business with new partnerships. The company has received great press coverage and PR for its app.
Needs Some Work: LeapSeats has put a lot of effort into public relations to gain good press from Forbes and other outlets, but it’s lacking on the partnership side. Given its roots, it’s surprising that ExpApp snapped up the Miami Marlins as a partner. That’s not good news for LeapSeats. The ticket integration and partnership process takes significant work on the front-end, so hopefully LeapSeats will have some surprises in store for the 2013-14 seasons.
Debut: November 2012
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Roster: Memphis Grizzlies, Brooklyn Nets, University of Maryland
What’s to Love: Launching in November 2012, LetsMoveDown developed a native app with unique integrated features such as the use of a phone’s camera to scan tickets, push notifications, and a user-friendly experience. LetsMoveDown is unique in respect to its ability to not only sell unused inventory, but also the ability for season ticket holders to sell unusable tickets to other fans at the game by using the LetsMoveDown Season Ticket Holder Portal. Fans that have the LetsMoveDown app are given special offers and rewards from the organization and can use the autopilot feature to be automatically upgraded. The platform also allows teams to reward specific fans with offers and upgrade tickets during the game directly through the app.
Needs Some Work: LetsMoveDown offers a slightly differentiated product, which might allow them to be more competitive in the future. However, the company’s web presence and marketing efforts lags well-behind PogoSeat’s. And LetsMoveDown can’t quite hang with the impressive roster of clients that ExpApp has acquired.
Debut: 2012
Hometown: Santa Monica, CA
Roster: Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons, Stanford University, San Diego Broadway, Comcast Theater, Darien Lake
What’s to Love: PogoSeat debuted in 2012 and offers seat upgrades through diverse offering of iPhone, Android, and mobile web applications for its user-friendly app. PogoSeat’s app also allows the user to sign in through its social media accounts, which is an added bonus for its partner organizations. The company has a robust marketing effort and the strongest web presence among its competitors. PogoSeat boasts a roster of strong NBA franchises and Stanford University compliments the company’s brand. PogoSeat is also the only company to have a partnership with an entertainment venue. The start-up’s access to Silicon Valley also has important value.
Needs Some Work: There’s a lot to love about PogoSeat, but there are a few down-falls. The company doesn’t offer in-game rewards for fans on merchandise, concessions, and other inside purchases. PogoSeat doesn’t do a great job explaining the differentiation between its sports product and live entertainment product—maybe there isn’t much difference.
While each of the apps have unique qualities and characteristics that will allow them to build a successful company, ExpApp has a clear head-start in this market. Being the first-mover doesn’t necessarily guarantee long-term viability, but they have a longer track record of success in comparison to PogoSeat and LetsMoveDown. PogoSeat and LetsMoveDown are charging from behind, both offering fantastic, unique services. LeapSeats has the financial backing and network potential to surprise users. It’s fair to say that when the 2013-14 professional and collegiate leagues get going, these companies will be on a first name basis with many sports fans.