The Tampa Bay Lightning, an NHL hockey team, is using an RFID-based loyalty program for its season-pass holders, nearly doubling the number of customers using such passes in just one year. The solution—which features passive 13.56 MHz tags sewn into Lightning jerseys worn by fans, in addition to RFID readers deployed at concession stands and stores—allows a user to receive discounts every time he or she buys food, beverages or souvenirs, such as team apparel, at the St. Pete Times Forum stadium, in Tampa, Fla. The Bolts, as the team is commonly known, are using jerseys with RFID tags sewn into the garments, along with 200 fixed readers at point-of-service locations throughout the stadium. When season passes went on sale for the 2011-12 season, jersey buyers were notified about a new program whereby fans wearing the shirts could use them to receive 25 percent discounts on food and beverages purchased at the home stadium’s concession stands, as well as 35 percent discounts on merchandise. Learn how users first selected a jersey that was a good fit, then provided his or her name and e-mail address, which employees input into the software, residing on the Bolts’ back-end database. The staff then read the tag on the selected jersey, linking its tag’s unique ID number with that individual’s data.
Speaker:
Brad Lott, Executive VP of Service and Operations, Tampa Bay Lightning