Glamorgan County Cricket Club enhances its supporter experience with CM.com’s ticketing, payment and customer data platforms.
Glamorgan Cricket teamed up with CM.com, the Official Ticketing Partner of Glamorgan County Cricket Club and Sophia Gardens, to simplify the ticketing process, personalise communications and ultimately provide the best supporter experience before, during and after the match.
Notably, since implementing CM.com’s ticketing platform and streamlining the booking process via the ticket shop, Glamorgan Cricket’s box office has seen a significant reduction in customer service calls, marking a positive shift in the supporter experience. To learn more about the partnership, read our interview with Ed Rice, Head of Commercial at Glamorgan County Cricket Club.
Long-standing and well-respected
Glamorgan County Cricket Club, based in South Wales, has a rich history dating back to 1888. In 1921, Glamorgan Cricket was elevated to the County Championship and is one of the eighteen first-class counties. A later pivotal move to Sophia Gardens in 1995 marked a new era for the club and transformed it into a premier cricket venue. The stadium now seats 15,000 supporters and hosts international cricket events.
Revitalising Cricket's appeal
Over the past twelve months, Glamorgan Cricket has been actively working to revitalise cricket's appeal, aiming to attract a younger and more diverse audience in South Wales. With the recent momentum in professional cricket, it has made significant strides in increasing both participation and spectatorship. Utilising technology, especially in ticketing, was a key strategy to enhance the supporter experience and drive increased attendance.
“We’re striving to grow our attendees and challenge the sporting hierarchy in South Wales. Essentially, we want people to have a positive experience and make Glamorgan Cricket a place that supporters want to come back to time and time again.” Ed Rice
Enhancing the supporter experience
Glamorgan Cricket has been focused on elevating the supporter experience through two key initiatives with CM.com’s solutions:
Streamlining the booking process:
Simplifying the ticketing and booking process was a priority to ensure a positive initial interaction for supporters. Using CM.com’s customisable and intuitive ticket shop the club has made the process user-friendly, catering to its diverse demographic of visitors.
Personalising offerings:
Leveraging a data-driven approach, the club gathers insights into supporters' preferences from the ticketing platform’s reporting, including match and attendance data, a seating overview and customer buying behaviour, as well as integrating with CM.com’s and third-party Customer Data Platforms. This data enables tailored offerings, supporter-based pricing and diverse experiences to resonate with different segments within the supporter base.
Glamorgan Cricket’s focus on ease of use and personalisation in the ticketing process creates a positive shift in the experience, laying the groundwork for sustained growth and supporter loyalty.
“We have a broad support base from a range of demographics, so any technology we use needs to be accessible to all and as user-friendly as possible.” Ed Rice
Supporter retention
Retention was, and still is, a critical focus for the club, especially given the historical challenges in this area within the cricket sector. Glamorgan Cricket's strategy centres on improving retention by building on positive experiences. Recognising the challenges of limited resources, the focus was on leveraging the existing supporter base as a platform for growth with positive experiences to return, gradually increasing attendance frequency.
The key lies in understanding customer preferences, tailoring communication and providing personalised tickets and prices based on data collected in the ticketing platform’s reporting. By optimising the customer journey via the ticket shop and utilising data, Glamorgan Cricket aims to increase how often people attend games. This approach, using data and understanding supporters, is its strategy to hold onto current supporters and grow steadily in the cricket community.
“It is much easier to retain supporters with an enjoyable experience to fall back on, so elevating that experience has been vitally important. Tailoring how we speak to supporters and the information we give them based on what we know about them, based on whether the supporter has a membership or is a one-day ticket holder, for example.” Ed Rice
The ideal ticketing partner
Glamorgan Cricket chose to collaborate with CM.com due to several compelling reasons that aligned with their organisational goals and ambitions.
Simplicity
The simplicity of the ticketing platform emerged as a key factor in the decision-making process. The intuitive design and ease of use were crucial for the club, streamlining its operations and making the system accessible to all team members, whether building the seating plan for the ticket shop or gathering match day data. The search and API functionality within the platform in particular stood out, simplifying the process of locating and understanding customer profiles and sharing that data with the Customer Data Platform, including order history and buyer behaviour.
Data-driven
The reporting capabilities and information obtained from the platform provided valuable insights, enabling the team to make informed decisions and track the progress effectively. The real-time insights within the ticketing platform itself, along with its connection to the Customer Data Platform, allow Glamorgan Cricket to stay informed about ticket sales, capacities and progress against challenging targets.
“We want to be using CM.com’s ticketing platform as much as we can because it gives us more information about what our supporters and the people who are attending Sophia Gardens want and then we can set up their experience accordingly.” Ed Rice
Integrations
The integrations with Two Circles, which collates marketing insights and analytics, and TeamCard, which manages Glamorgan Cricket’s access control, streamline the flow of real-time information. The club now has access to dynamic dashboards highlighting audience composition, ticket sales, and purchase frequency. With the Two Circles’ integrations, CM.com opted for API integration over a traditional FTP method to ensure a constant and future-proof exchange of live data, enhancing efficiency and maintaining an up-to-date overview of operations.
Account Management
The open lines of communication and commitment to address challenges collaboratively with CM.com’s account management function ensures accessibility to key individuals for quick resolutions. Regular communication includes weekly product and marketing calls, providing a structured framework, and ad-hoc discussions for urgent matters.
“CM.com’s proactive approach when addressing inevitable bumps in the road means the partnership is more than transactional; it is a true collaboration with a dedicated customer team offering support in day-to-day operations.” Ed Rice
Ambition
The ambition from both sides plays a significant role in this partnership. The shared vision for growth and innovation in product development strengthens the collaboration.
"We were drawn to partnering with Glamorgan Cricket for its open, innovative, and people-centric ethos. Together, we're shaping the future of cricket with a shared commitment to innovation and collaboration." James Matthews, UK & Ireland Country Manager at CM.com.
Looking ahead
Glamorgan Cricket is gearing up for a more supporter-focused and data-driven approach with automation. Its goal is to give supporters the best experience possible and stand out by trying innovative ideas and moving away from old strategies to retain and attract more people.
“Automation which allows us to capture more information about our supporters and learn what interests them, what's going to keep them coming back and enjoying their experience, is something that we’re keen to explore.” Ed Rice
This is just the beginning, as Glamorgan Cricket plans to gather more and better data, increase ticket sales, and improve marketing and supporter engagement. The more information it gathers about attendees and spectators, the better decisions it can make to seize opportunities. By staying open to change and using data smartly, it aims to lead in the competitive cricket landscape.
“The goal is simple: create ticket offerings that people genuinely care about and enjoy. By staying data-driven, we ensure our relationship with customers remains strong, fostering a positive and engaged community.” Ed Rice