New Oracle survey shows fans want tech to cut
waits and boost interactions with favorite teams and
artists
Many fans draw the tech line at robot umpires
and referees
AUSTIN,
Texas, Aug. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- From
their mobile devices to the metaverse, consumers are looking to
tech to level-up their stadium outings, according to a new Oracle
Food and Beverage survey. For example, 57% of stadium goers would
love to pre-order food and drinks to avoid the lines and 53% think
it would be amazing to engage with their favorite teams and artists
in the metaverse.
From their mobile devices to the metaverse,
consumers are looking to tech to level up their stadium
outings.
"Stadium visitors want the best of both worlds; they seek the
excitement of live in-person viewing but want the experience to
feel as convenient as other parts of their life, such as ordering
take-out," said Simon de Montfort
Walker, senior vice president and general manager at Oracle
Food and Beverage. "While providing an immersive and seamless
journey presents challenges to stadium operators, fans' increased
expectations have also created opportunity to bring innovation and
digitalization into the traditional stadium sphere."
The survey conducted by Oracle research partner Untold Insights,
polled 5,640 global consumers* in May
2022. Score your copy of the "Stadium without Borders:
Stadium technology and trends in 2022 and beyond" report:
https://www.oracle.com/industries/food-beverage/sports-entertainment/consumer-trends-2022/
Tech creating a homerun experience before, during, and after
the game
From entering the stadium through to getting player stats,
consumers want technology that will give them more bang for their
stadium buck:
- 53% think it would be amazing to engage with their favorite
teams and artists in the metaverse (such as virtual
"backstage/stadium" tours and meet-ups, shopping for merchandise,
etc.). This sentiment was especially true of sports fans (64%), and
millennials (65%)
- 42% say they'd like to use their fingerprint, rather than a
ticket, to enter a stadium
- 38% (the #1 preference) want to view sports stats through their
mobile device
- 53% of respondents are interested in receiving special offers
for pre-game activities
Speed and convenience of digital wins over fans
With staffing shortages lingering, fans believe customer service
is getting worse at stadiums and are counting on tech to speed the
process and shorten wait times:
- 42% are frustrated with waiting in long lines for
concessions
- 53% would prefer a more flexible, self-serve digital experience
versus interacting with staff during live stadium events
- 57% love the idea of pre-ordering food and drink for pick at a
specific time
- 33% of people will pay extra to pre-order their meal if it
means a shorter wait
"Today's fans expect an experience that extends beyond the game.
They are looking for great food, friendly service, engaging
promotions and hopefully a win for the orange and black," said
Bill Schlough, senior vice president
and chief information officer, San Francisco Giants. "Technology is
playing an increasingly important role in delivering these
experiences from the moment a fan begins planning their trip to
Oracle Park. For example, more and more fans are bypassing the
concession lines by ordering food on their mobile device so they
don't miss any of the action on the field. Oracle's technology is
helping us bring these offerings to life and continually reimagine
how we can enhance the experience for our fans."
Robot recruits – foe or friends?
The survey showed that fans are mixed on the contentious topic
of moving to robot umpires and referees across various sports.
While many consumers are indifferent, whether they are rooting for
or against the robots largely depends on their region:
- 42% of consumers globally hated the idea (36% for US), 29%
loved it (30% for US), and 29% are indifferent (34% for US)
- Leading-off for the 'hate the idea' team is Germany (58%), Italy (53%), Spain (52%), Australia (50%), France (48%), Brazil (44%)
- Meanwhile, China (54%), and
UAE (53%) 'love the idea' of robot umps and refs
To learn how stadiums are winning with our point-of-sale
technology and restaurant business analytics please
visit Oracle Food and Beverage.
*Countries surveyed include Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, United Arab
Emirates, the United
Kingdom, and the United
States.
About Oracle Food & Beverage
Oracle Food and Beverage, formerly MICROS, brings 40 years of
experience in providing software and hardware solutions to
restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs, coffee shops, cafes, stadiums, and
theme parks. Thousands of operators, both large and small, around
the world are using Oracle technology to deliver exceptional guest
experiences, maximize sales, and reduce running costs.
About Oracle
Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure,
autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information
about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at www.oracle.com.
Trademarks
Oracle, Java, and MySQL are registered trademarks of Oracle
Corporation.
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SOURCE Oracle