Florida Gators: Giving Fans an Experience They’ll Never Forget

Shift4 Case Study Florida Gators

Shift4 and VenueNext have made it their mission to transform the way sports and entertainment venues approach the gameday experience — and the payments involved. Their ecosystem of mobile-first technologies streamline commerce across the entire stadium, arena, or other entertainment venues, including:

  • Point Of Sale: Accept mobile and contactless payments with quick-service and full-service point-of-sale solutions that are seamless for patrons and operators.
  • Mobile Ordering: Minimize wait times with mobile ordering and designated pick-up areas. In-seat delivery will also reduce lines at concessions and retail stands.
  • Mobile Wallet: A mobile wallet can be branded for your team or venue, allow fans to redeem rewards, and incentivize mobile adoption with discounts and cashback offerings.

The Experience Marketplace Adds An Instant Value To Your Venue

As a part of their unified commerce offering, Shift4 and VenueNext have extended the mobile experience by providing teams a way to connect with their fans: the Experience Marketplace.

With this feature, professional and college sports organizations can tap into the connection they already have with their fans and create items they can purchase, which can include autograph signings, access to press conferences, tours, mascot visits, and much more.

 

Shift4 customer case study the Florida Gators

 

Experience Marketplace allows teams and venues to:

  • Monetize every aspect of venues and events through low-cost-of-goods experiences
  • Create membership value by restricting the sale of select experiences to members or member-level segments
  • Collect relevant information for each experience to decorate CRM profiles

Florida Gators Took Full Advantage of The Experience Marketplace

The University of Florida uses the Experience Marketplace for their football program, naming them “Swamp Moments” after the nickname for their Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. From there, they were able to create and offer a wide range of items and experiences. These include commemorative tickets for the season or for specific games, access to exclusive areas or events, and more. The most popular “Swamp Moments” for the University were:

  • Pre-Game Experience With On-Field Passes
  • Share a Special Message on the Videoboard
  • Play Catch on the Field With a Friend After the Game
  • Exclusive Group Meet With Steve Spurrier
  • Commemorative Tickets

 

VenueNext’s Experience Marketplace allowed the Gators to add nearly $100,000 of additional revenue from the Swamp Moments program, proving that there is unquestionably a high demand from fans to extend their relationship with the team beyond just spectators.

Create Lasting Memories

And for the fans, these are more than just ordinary items they purchased. Each experience represents an unforgettable moment in their life as a Florida Gator — and sometimes their very first moment.

The Fishon family purchased on-field pre-game passes for Florida’s home game against Samford University. The game was a special one for them, as their young son, Tyler, had never been to the stadium before. They got to give him a front-row view to the scene of the action and likely made him a fan for life. To top it off, Florida won the game 70-52.

 

Shift4 customer case study the Florida Gators

 

“I had no idea the feeling of a Swamp Moment until stepping foot on the field with my 3 year old for his first Gator game. Watching his face along with mine light up and feel the rush like being at The Swamp for the first time was the most memorable experience this New York Gator Nation fan will have.”

— Eric Fishon, Florida Gators Fan