Rugby fans will get m-commerce opportunity at Twickenham

Friday, February 14, 2014 - 16:03 by Mike Price

Twickenham is arguably the most famous rugby stadium in the UK, playing host to major matches between domestic clubs and international giants alike.

Now the Rugby Football Union, (RFU), has announced plans to integrate m-commerce features at the stadium, making it easier for fans to carry out safe shopping online during their visits and also to use their smartphone device to make payments and earn loyalty points.

The RFU is partnering with mobile payment provider, Znap, to organise the m-commerce integration and a successful trial carried out recently has solidified plans for a wider rollout.

The idea is that fans can download a dedicated app to their smartphones and then use it to place orders for beverages and food at the various bars and eateries around the stadium.

Using the m-commerce app, these orders can be placed while the fans are still in their seats, then they can join an express queue when they go to collect, bypassing the usual approach to ordering consumables at a busy sports game.

The average person who downloaded and used the Znap app during the trial spent around ?5 and ME reports that organisers were impressed with the conversion rates.

Spokesperson, Sophie Goldschmidt, said that the RFU was endeavouring to make it as easy as possible for fans to enjoy rugby games at Twickenham, with m-commerce being just one of the strategies it is deploying.

Eliminating disorderly queues and making it easier for everyone to buy the items they want online and pick them up quickly, could help in a variety of situations, so it will be interesting to see whether Znap and its competitors set up shop at other sporting venues across the country.

Meanwhile, the BBC revealed that more people accessed its mobile website than ever before on the day of the Six Nations face-off between France and England, showing how popular mobile browsing has become.