A Destination? Or Means To An End?

Very often the store is a means to an end; simply a vehicle from which to sell either kit or other branded merchandise. Clubs fail to pay close attention to how the retail and merchandise experience can be integrated into the match day so that it not only becomes a useful source of additional revenue but plays its part in making the overall experience better.

Think of the cramped shops you’ve squeezed into. The ones where the most interesting items are positioned exactly where the queues lines are, so you have to either join the queue and make a very quick decision or don’t look at all. Think of the items behind a counter or a glass screen so there is no opportunity to touch and feel (presumably because the club thinks everyone is only in there to nick stuff – note to clubs: this isn’t Sports Direct, most fans just want to see what they are purchasing before they part with their hard-earned cash.) Think too of the shops that only have replica kit, or where any staff are almost as scarce as decent products. What about those that have no pricing on any of the goods?

At smaller clubs outside of the professional leagues, merchandise sometimes isn’t there at all. This is an oversight because replica shirts, club-branded clothing and even a pin badge or car sticker not only provides an income stream but also helps to spread the club’s identity far and wide; much further and wider than it would get otherwise.

In our trip to the World Cup in 2022, this touchpoint was a rare example of a part of the fan journey where the ball was dropped. Stores at the eight stadiums didn’t exactly inspire with no queue management, no prices (to begin with anyway), no changing rooms, few staff and worst of all, an untidy layout. If you go into any shop – for anything – and there are cardboard boxes scattered everywhere and hundreds of people climbing on top of each other to move around, it doesn’t exactly make you want to stay there and spend lots of money does it? So we can’t blame fans if they decide to walk on by or leave without purchasing.

It’s time that clubs understood the power of the overall retail experience. You can build it, but they won’t come unless you give them a compelling reason. With shirts nearing the one hundred pound barrier, they aren’t going to come for the value-for-money either. But rather than tell you what’s wrong with the current experience at so many stadiums, let’s reverse it and look at what it could be like.  So imagine this….(you can scale your imagination up or down depending on the size of your club).

In the build-up to a game you’re going to, there are promotional messages that tell you that there is a store(s) at the stadium, where they are and what time they open and close. These messages aren’t trying to sell, sell, sell but rather inform. They might provide details of some of the items or point you towards a sale, but their main purpose is to make you want to come inside when you arrive.

On arrival, the store is better described as a destination. The place is really easy to find, looks great from the outside with plenty of colourful branding and imagery and there is plenty of room too. In fact, it’s the perfect place to meet your friends or family members before kick-off. On this occasion, the club mascot is outside posing for selfies and high fiving everyone, including you.  You knew they’d be there at this time; the club said so in their emails.

You go inside and the layout is designed to make it really easy to see everything. You can walk around freely and browse. Items that appeal are at the right height, kept in one easily accessible place to make them easier to find and look at. They are all clearly priced too, so there is no confusion about what the cost of any purchases will be when you get to the tills.

A floor-walker is there to answer questions and make sure fans can find what they are looking for. They are smiling and proactively on the lookout for anyone who needs help, might be lost or has something that they want to ask. They don’t pressure anyone though, they are all about help, not hassle.  

Imagine the staff behind the tills are great too. They engage with fans, ask questions and never stop smiling either. They say ‘enjoy the game’ when fans leave and you even get another high five by the exit door. They ask you what you think the score might be and say they hope to see you again at a future game. They seem really interested in you as a fan, not just someone they want to sell to.

The real plus point is the range though. It’s massive, with loads aimed at younger fans. They have lots of pocket-money-priced items that really appeal including stationery with the club’s branding, water bottles, sweets, socks, keyrings, footballs, a sticker pack, wallets, foam fingers as well as the usual clothing, hats and scarfs, There are some really unusual items too, things you don’t see very often like the team bus made from Lego. The cuddly versions of the club mascot are brilliant as well.

As a bonus, one of the players who is not in the match day squad (they are one of your favourites but out injured although thankfully on the mend) has made a brief appearance to pose for a few pictures, sign some autographs (to help with this, the club sell autograph cards with their image and a space for the message) and show his / her appreciation for the fans and their support. As you leave the store, they catch your eye and thank you for coming to the game.

And now imagine you are nine years old.