Most fan engagement analytics are built on data, but only the best are built on location intelligence. To better understand how fan engagement analytics can be used by sports organizations, we will walk you through an example of how a sports team might use a fan engagement analytics platform to reconnect with their fans. We’ll start by understanding what fan engagement analytics is and then dive into how a major ice hockey team could use this data to inform their business strategy.

Fan engagement analytics involves the analysis of fan behavior. Location intelligence is data based on where people go in the real world. It’s important to keep in mind that not all fan engagement analytics solutions are built on location intelligence. FanVue, Gravy’s fan engagement solution, provides sports organizations with insight into fans’ real-world behavior. There are two different types of sports fan analytics views provided by FanVue: game day and full season analytics. These different views provide sports teams and franchises with data to stay connected with their fans on game day and all season long.

The 2021 hockey season is just getting started. Let’s take a look at last year’s data for the Honda Center, home of the Anaheim Ducks, to see what we can discover about the Ducks’ most dedicated fans.

On big game days, Ducks hockey fans are likely to shop, go to restaurants, and participate in outdoor recreation activities. While the majority of fans go shopping, what stands out are some of the other brand names listed in the dashboard: Ducks fans are apt to visit the Disneyland California Adventure, Disneyland Park, the Angels Stadium of Anaheim, and Tesla dealerships. What does this say about Ducks hockey fans? They’re likely to be interested in cars (specifically Tesla), baseball, and amusement parks. 

Transportation for most fans on game day often happens via bus or train as evidenced by visits to the Greyhound bus station and the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal. Perhaps the Ducks could partner with Greyhound and the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal to offer ticket discounts or special offers to those who opt to go to the game via bus or train rather than driving.

Season-long analytics reconfirm fans’ interest in shopping and restaurants. However, there are other interesting points to note within the data: Anaheim Ducks fans visit many different chains during the season, but visit Starbucks, Rite Aid, and Costco more often than typical U.S. consumers. In fact, Anaheim Ducks fans over-index by 50% to visits to Starbucks, 18% to Rite Aid, and 41% to Costco. With this information, the Honda Center and Anaheim Ducks could reach out to these companies to talk about potential sponsorships or partnerships. 

During the season, fans also over-index for visits to Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, Panda Express, Wingstop, and Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers. This data could be used by the Honda Center to fill in gaps with food stands throughout the stadium and to improve on-site food options based on fan preferences.

By investing in fan engagement analytics, sports teams like the Anaheim Ducks can better understand their fans’ interests beyond sports, and even find new sponsors or partners to drive revenue. This type of analytics can also provide significant insights into how sports fan behavior has changed due to the coronavirus pandemic. As sports fan behavior continues to change, sports organizations can be prepared to keep up with new trends by using fan engagement analytics driven by location intelligence.