Striker505 Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Hi Derby County fans! I am a postgraduate student at Loughborough University, studying on the MSc Sport Management programme. I am writing a dissertation about the tactics used by football clubs to increase match-day revenues and attendance. In particular my research considers whether demand-based pricing can improve match-day revenue, attendance and fans' satisfaction. As you know, there are only two clubs in the English football industry that have adopted such pricing, so Derby really leads the way! I have already done my theoretical part and gathered secondary data, and now I need your help! It will take approximately 3-4 minutes of your time! And you can't imagine how valuable would be your responses! So I will greatly appreciate if you help me to finish my project! Thank you very much! https://qtrial.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_5uJZCJrgQqt3cH3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Scarlet Pimpernel Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Beats working for a living I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mostyn6 Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 I can't be arsed just yet to visit your questionaire, but will say that Demand Based Pricing has backfired on me more than it's benefitted me. In my previous employment, I was paid monthly and running a little short of cash. Meaning I was unable to buy a ticket way in advance, as I also wasn't too committed to going to this particular game. Then, on the day before the game, also my payday, I decided I wanted to go to the game. I drove from Ashbourne after work, and got to the club shop too late to buy a ticket. So on the Saturday morning, I drove to get a ticket, only to be told it was £35!! The game was against Watford, who were not pulling up any trees, and we were pretty average too. So no way was I paying £35 for a game that I know was £14 ten days earlier, when I wasn't committed enough to buy on credit card. (not a fan of credit). So, I walked away and went to the gym instead for a sauna! Oh, Derby won and scored 5 goals! :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheron85 Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 The game was against Watford, who were not pulling up any trees As soon as I saw that my brain started screaming "don't keep reading, this story is gonna have an unhappy ending"... And it did... That was a great game btw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VulcanRam Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 It doesn't work because the title "demand based" gives the impression that prices will fluctuate depending on demand, which they don't. A proper title would be "cheaper in advance and getting more expensive the closer you get to the match", but I don't suppose that's as sexy. The system is half baked, ill conceived and has apparently had no benefit on attendances whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheron85 Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 The system is half baked, ill conceived and has apparently had no benefit on attendances whatsoever. We don't know that...They could have dropped even worse? However I agree with what you say... I think the problem is that people who have planned to go to the games will book plenty of time in advance and get decent rates, but they would have payed whatever the cost was anyway... They should have a system where if they haven't sold out on matchday they drop the prices to whatever the lowest rate at the start was... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notts_ram Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 It's a rubbish idea, it penalises the floaters whom might suddenly have an afternoon free then find out that they are paying double the price for a ticket compared to a month ago and not bother. The price of a ticket should be the price of a ticket, if I buy a pint of milk its the same price in the shop regardless of whether the best before date is 2 days or 2 weeks in advance, the same for a loaf of bread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenportram Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 I can't be arsed just yet to visit your questionaire, but will say that Demand Based Pricing has backfired on me more than it's benefitted me. In my previous employment, I was paid monthly and running a little short of cash. Meaning I was unable to buy a ticket way in advance, as I also wasn't too committed to going to this particular game. Then, on the day before the game, also my payday, I decided I wanted to go to the game. I drove from Ashbourne after work, and got to the club shop too late to buy a ticket. So on the Saturday morning, I drove to get a ticket, only to be told it was £35!! The game was against Watford, who were not pulling up any trees, and we were pretty average too. So no way was I paying £35 for a game that I know was £14 ten days earlier, when I wasn't committed enough to buy on credit card. (not a fan of credit). So, I walked away and went to the gym instead for a sauna! Oh, Derby won and scored 5 goals! :/ Buy online using debit card the night before - collect on match day. You'd have saved petrol money too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Striker505 Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 Thank you all guys! Really appreciate your opinions and your experience though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curb Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I would normally go to around 10-12 games a season, but because of work and other commitments I wouldn't be able to buy a ticket until a few days before the game. Due to the pricing policy last season I bought tickets to 1 game and went to one other on a complimentary. So for me, no it hasn't worked and the club lost around £300 in revenue. Ridiculous policy from my point of view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheron85 Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I would normally go to around 10-12 games a season, but because of work and other commitments I wouldn't be able to buy a ticket until a few days before the game. Due to the pricing policy last season I bought tickets to 1 game and went to one other on a complimentary. So for me, no it hasn't worked and the club lost around £300 in revenue. Ridiculous policy from my point of view. Just out of interest, do you mind if I ask why you didn't still go to games? (no judgement here, just interested) The tickets on the day were of a similar (taking inflation into account) as previous seasons... Buying in advance made the tickets cheaper, but you'd never be paying more (again interest) then previous years even if you bought on the day... Was it a case that you didn't like the idea that you were paying full price when you could have got it cheaper in advance? (Just to explain, I work in advertising and this is interesting to me from a retail marketing POV) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CornwallRam Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Just out of interest, do you mind if I ask why you didn't still go to games? (no judgement here, just interested) The tickets on the day were of a similar (taking inflation into account) as previous seasons... Buying in advance made the tickets cheaper, but you'd never be paying more (again interest) then previous years even if you bought on the day... Was it a case that you didn't like the idea that you were paying full price when you could have got it cheaper in advance? (Just to explain, I work in advertising and this is interesting to me from a retail marketing POV)It was my experience during the early season that the tickets became considerably more expensive than in previous seasons as the game drew closer. There were usually some headline offers, but if you didn't want to sit in the SW corner you had to pay at least 50% more than the previous season for the equivalent game if you bought tickets in the final ten days.After Christmas (by which time I'd invested in my half-season ticket so I took less notice) it appeared that the ridiculous price hikes had been reigned in, so then your notion of similar pricing to the previous season is probably accurate, but early season it wasn't.I think they tweaked the system once Sam Rush was in post, but by then a lot of fans had been alienated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mostyn6 Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Just out of interest, do you mind if I ask why you didn't still go to games? (no judgement here, just interested) The tickets on the day were of a similar (taking inflation into account) as previous seasons... Buying in advance made the tickets cheaper, but you'd never be paying more (again interest) then previous years even if you bought on the day... Was it a case that you didn't like the idea that you were paying full price when you could have got it cheaper in advance? (Just to explain, I work in advertising and this is interesting to me from a retail marketing POV) I know you didn't direct the question to me, but in my case, the Watford game was £35 (or maybe £36), the previous season, this would've been around the £23 mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VulcanRam Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 We don't know that...They could have dropped even worse? However I agree with what you say... I think the problem is that people who have planned to go to the games will book plenty of time in advance and get decent rates, but they would have payed whatever the cost was anyway... They should have a system where if they haven't sold out on matchday they drop the prices to whatever the lowest rate at the start was... Hence the word apparently! I've always been convinced that Derby has a hardcore support of around 18-20k who would go regardless, so I would never expect crowds to dip below that, which lends to my belief that the system hasn't really worked I've had a season ticket for years so I don't have first hand experience on this, but traditionally the club could rely on a couple of thousand 'walk up' - ie fans simply turning up on the day. That was when crowds were around 25-26k. I would be interested to know what the walk up figure is now, and how this balances out with the levels of advanced purchases. And what effect the demand pricing system has had. And various other things, but that's enough to be getting on with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyinLiverpool Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I can't be arsed just yet to visit your questionaire, but will say that Demand Based Pricing has backfired on me more than it's benefitted me. In my previous employment, I was paid monthly and running a little short of cash. Meaning I was unable to buy a ticket way in advance, as I also wasn't too committed to going to this particular game. Then, on the day before the game, also my payday, I decided I wanted to go to the game. I drove from Ashbourne after work, and got to the club shop too late to buy a ticket. So on the Saturday morning, I drove to get a ticket, only to be told it was £35!! The game was against Watford, who were not pulling up any trees, and we were pretty average too. So no way was I paying £35 for a game that I know was £14 ten days earlier, when I wasn't committed enough to buy on credit card. (not a fan of credit). So, I walked away and went to the gym instead for a sauna! Oh, Derby won and scored 5 goals! :/ Don't you have a debit card? Or a telephone to ring them up and ask how much the tickets are? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rams71 Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Surely a ticket should be cheaper the nearer a game is to entice walk up punters not more expensive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheron85 Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I know you didn't direct the question to me, but in my case, the Watford game was £35 (or maybe £36), the previous season, this would've been around the £23 mark. Could it have jumped up a price category? Been a gold game instead of silver or something? It was my experience during the early season that the tickets became considerably more expensive than in previous seasons as the game drew closer. There were usually some headline offers, but if you didn't want to sit in the SW corner you had to pay at least 50% more than the previous season for the equivalent game if you bought tickets in the final ten days. After Christmas (by which time I'd invested in my half-season ticket so I took less notice) it appeared that the ridiculous price hikes had been reigned in, so then your notion of similar pricing to the previous season is probably accurate, but early season it wasn't. I think they tweaked the system once Sam Rush was in post, but by then a lot of fans had been alienated. Interesting... I'm a season ticket holder so don't pay attention to any attention to the prices anyway! Surely a ticket should be cheaper the nearer a game is to entice walk up punters not more expensive? The idea is the same as advanced train tickets... If you HAVE to travel then you will pay whatever price it has to be, but if you plan ahead and buy in advance they let you have the ticket cheaper... then there are rising prices nearer the day of travel... It's a system I find massively beneficial travelling up from London to all the home games... I think the big problem is you don't HAVE to go to Derby games and they haven't taken that into account... (unless you're some kind of idiot like me who spends more than the price of a decent ski holiday every year on the bloody club) I know the idea was if you have a season ticket then the individual game cost would be £x... For people getting their game ticket in advance the first few could get it at £x... then the prices would go up until they'd sold all the cheaper ones and the rest would be at the 'normal' price... It makes sense to incentivise people to come along, however you're all totally right that a lot of football fans buy on the day and how do you incentivise them? I did find it annoying at the end of the season that people were getting a free burger and drink with their tickets... Where's my free burger?!?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uttoxram75 Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 There should be an area of unallocated seating set aside for fans who may not decide til late on that they are going the match. Reasonably priced (say £20?), first come first served as to where you can sit. If you want to pop along with half a dozen mates for instance, get there earlyish and guarantee to sit together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uttoxram75 Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Obviously it won't work next season when we are sold out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheron85 Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 There should be an area of unallocated seating set aside for fans who may not decide til late on that they are going the match. Reasonably priced (say £20?), first come first served as to where you can sit. If you want to pop along with half a dozen mates for instance, get there earlyish and guarantee to sit together. What about for the game against the red dogs... Do you still have that allocation? Makes it a bit unfair on people who are happy to buy in advance... I agree though that there should be a reduced rate on the day for any game that's not sold out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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