The global pandemic in 2020 significantly impacted most customer-facing businesses— those in the entertainment industry were no exception. With the population in lockdown, movie-goers swapped their visits to the cinema for at-home streaming and other forms of entertainment. With movie theaters open again, operators are focusing on ways to bring in as many film buffs as possible. The key to that is delivering a modern and personalized customer experience.
Several theaters will show the films that movie-goers want to see. Where they choose to watch them boils down to whether the cinema will meet their expectations for a convenient and personalized film experience. This article will cover ten ways theater operators can streamline operations, reduce waiting times, and ultimately elevate the movie-going experience.
Why the Cinema Customer Experience Is a Competitive Advantage
In a time of unprecedented inflation and cost-of-living crisis, it’s easy for film gurus to watch a movie or streaming service in the comfort of their homes rather than going to the cinema. So when they choose to splurge at the movie theater, they expect a modern, seamless, and satisfying experience.
However, if they face slow service, long concession queues, and limited payment flexibility, they’ll wonder why they bothered leaving the house in the first place. Such friction points are also problematic for theater operations, setting them up for:
- Negative guest reviews
- Reduced customer loyalty
- Revenue loss
By improving the guest experience, your facility will experience improvements in guest loyalty, increased ticket sales, and throughput at concession stands. The following sections will cover proven strategies you can easily implement to give every movie-goer the cinema experience they’re hoping for.
10 Ways to Improve the Movie Theater Customer Experience
1. Reduce Long Lines at Ticketing and Concession Stands
No movie-goer wants to miss a second of a film (or the trailers). But if they’re waiting in a long line for their entry tickets or popcorn, that’s exactly what could happen. Long queues disrupt the cinema experience and can chip away at guest satisfaction.
Pull the curtain on long lines and frustrating wait times with innovative technology to quickly get customers back to their seats. Start by offering guests mobile ordering options for admission tickets, food, and beverages. Rather than waiting in line to read the menu and deciding what they want to order, they can pre-order and simply pick up their purchases on arrival or during intermission.
Self-service kiosks are another effective way to reduce queue congestion. Guests can purchase tickets or concession vouchers on their own and then return to the film.
Some line-busting strategies are even simpler to implement. For instance, install clear signage so guests know where to go for snacks, drinks, restrooms, and more. Also, schedule an ample number of staff during peak viewing times to keep the lines shorter. Finally, outfitting staff with mobile point of sale systems (mPOSs) allows them to take concession or ticket payments anywhere in the queue or in the cinema complex.
2. Accept a Wide Range of Payment Methods
Giving customers a wide range of modern payment methods is vital in creating a positive guest experience. According to the Federal Reserve, more than 80% of consumers between the ages of 18 and 41 report that it’s important they are able to make fast payments via mobile device or other digital payment methods.
Paying for movie tickets or concessions quickly with Apple Pay, a digital wallet, or a tap-to-pay debit card isn’t a nice-to-have for today’s movie goers—it’s a must–have. But not all customers have access to these methods. Some still want (or have to) use physical cash. Cinemas refusing cash payments can unintentionally alienate unbanked or underbanked viewers and even limit their ticket sales and overall revenue.
To give every customer the best cinema experience possible, operators can level up their payment infrastructure with modern, inclusive payment methods, like Cash-to-Card® Kiosks. So that all movie-goers have an equal opportunity for a positive guest experience, despite their payment preferences.
3. Offer Seamless Digital Ticketing
Lining up to buy movie tickets can be time-consuming, especially when a cinema adds a much-anticipated film release to the schedule. Mobile ticketing is a superior alternative to traditional paper tickets. Popular for reducing friction at the entrance, a digital ticketing system accommodates advanced and on-demand sales, giving viewers a quick and seamless way to plan for and purchase their tickets.
It’s best to aim for a consistent user experience (UX) across all digital ticketing channels, like your website and mobile apps, to reinforce trust with your guests. Train staff to conduct cross-channel testing to ensure design and functional consistency.
Digital ticketing is also an opportunity to streamline several features and processes. For instance, you could integrate a cinema loyalty program with online seat selection or concession purchases into the same workflow. That way, guests can accumulate loyalty points when performing simple tasks like ordering snacks or choosing where to sit.
4. Improve Seating, Cleanliness, and Ambience
Some efforts to improve the customer experience are simple. Making aesthetic and functional upgrades to your cinema can make a significant impact on your guests’ comfort and enjoyment, including:
- Upgrading classic movie seats with comfortable recliners outfitted with cup holders and leg rests.
- Replacing harsh or inadequate lighting with ambient lighting.
- Swapping out older speakers for more advanced audio technology for an immersive viewing experience.
- Ensuring all areas, especially high-traffic spots, remain clean and hygienic.
- Creating a pre-film cocktail hour for guests to encourage interaction and build a more memorable experience.
- Displaying QR codes to solicit customer feedback on sanitation and other important health-related issues.
5. Launch or Expand a Loyalty Program
New visitors and movie buffs alike will enjoy any added perks from their continuous patronage. A cinema loyalty program will inspire guests to choose your theater for their movie-watching needs over a competitor’s. Repeat visits not only boost ticket and concession sales, but they also establish a stronger sense of community between your theater and its most loyal viewers.
Use a digital platform to kick off your loyalty program for fast and easy implementation. With a program in place, you’ll be able to automate rewards and deliver personalized offers to your customers, including:
- Member-only pre-screenings for upcoming films
- Exclusive access to pre- or post-release events
- Tiered-reward offers, such as free movie passes or concession items after X number of visits
- Freebies, such as snack and drink offers or bundle deals
- Group or family loyalty schemes with a choice of reward options sure to please everyone
6. Train Staff to Prioritize Hospitality
Staff members represent the ethos and core values of your cinema. Their influence doesn’t stop there, though. Recent studies show a strong correlation between how staff interact with and handle a customer’s needs and the customer’s overall satisfaction.
Friendly and courteous staff focused on delivering a personalized and rewarding cinema experience can significantly impact the guest experience and your cinema’s bottom line. However, training staff to meet the needs of your guests may take some time.
Consider focusing on the following training areas that will have the greatest impact:
- Clearly define the service standards your staff should follow (i.e., personalization, empathy, responsiveness, etc.).
- Train staff with detailed service scripts to achieve consistency with conflict resolution and other guest-facing issues.
- Make authenticity a top goal in all training, so staff approach each guest’s concerns with empathy and a personalized touch.
- Devote training time to tech troubleshooting, conflict resolution, and upselling issues.
7. Provide Inclusive Accessibility Features
The Americans with Disabilities Act National Network reports, “Ensuring full access to your business and services is a great way to expand your customer base.” A cinema with an accessible design and accommodating features better serves movie-goers who are aging and/or who have disabilities.
Outfit your cinema with the following:
- Wheelchair and accessibility ramps
- Mobility lifts
- Adjustable lighting and high-contrast signage for wayfinding, etc.
- Closed-captioning systems while viewing
- Assisted-listening devices
- Clear and visible policies regarding accessibility: online, in-app, and in your cinema
- Multi-lingual options on your website, apps, etc. for non-Native English speakers
8. Use Guest Feedback to Guide Experience Improvements
Customer feedback is one of the most valuable learning tools for any business endeavoring to improve the guest experience. To collect timely feedback and maximize its usage, we recommend:
- Leveraging in-app feedback prompts, on-site QR-code customer surveys, and post-viewing emails to secure feedback while their experience front of mind.
- Utilizing real-time tracking to identify and analyze guest complaints and identify appropriate solutions
- Showing guests you’ve reflected on and appreciate their feedback by posting visible, we listened to signage or messages in relevant spots and channels.
9. Curate Special Events to Drive Engagement
Your guests’ cinema experience can involve so much more than a three-hour film and a bucket of popcorn. Take an out-of-the-box (office) approach to customer engagement by offering special events to connect with them long after the film credits.
Consider planning some or all of the following guest-centric events, sure to create a buzz and improve viewer retention:
- Plan film-relevant events, such as a pre-film Flapper-Era Happy Hour for a 1920s film.
- Host pre-release contests to drive guest engagement and ticket sales.
- Reach out to local vendors, such as food trucks, ice cream distilleries, etc., to collaborate on creating a more fulfilling guest experience.
- Host an interactive film screening and immersive film experience, so that viewers can engage in a more meaningful way.
- Contact local filmmakers or screenwriters for open mic or Q&A opportunities to encourage guest engagement.
10. Streamline Food & Beverage Transactions
Besides ticket sales, food and beverage purchases are a vital revenue stream for cinemas. But outdated payment methods, such as direct cash acceptance, can negatively impact concession queue lengths and waiting times. However, with millions of unbanked and underbanked American households, cash remains their only means to pay for a cinema experience, including food and drinks.
Equip your concession stands with fast and flexible payment options that meet every guest’s needs. Tap-to-pay cards, digital wallets, Cash-to-Card® Kiosks, and other inclusive digital payment solutions expedite sales transactions at concession counters while delivering an equitable guest experience.
Want to Learn More about Cashless Food & Beverage Payment Solutions?
Why Payment Flexibility Is the Key to a Modern Guest Experience
No movie-goer’s payment preference should keep them from the cinema experience they deserve. Guests want to pay their way. So, it’s up to cinemas to make sure they can.
Payment flexibility is the key to supporting all customers. Unlike accepting direct cash and other outdated payment methods, today’s inclusive digital payment types reduce friction. They also do their share in contributing to a positive guest experience by significantly reducing wait times.
On the other hand, millions of customers must still pay in cash. Flexible digital payment tools with inclusive hardware, like cash-to-card kiosks, support all customers, making their time at the cinema not only convenient, payment-wise, but memorable.
How Ready Credit Enhances the Cinema Guest Experience
With every new film release, you want customers to choose your cinema. Delivering a top-shelf guest experience in return is the best way to make sure they do.
A seamless film-viewing experience requires a payment infrastructure that offers every guest equal access. Ready Credit’s inclusive payment solutions for cinemas empower movie-goers to pay how they want. Whether that’s by contactless card, digital wallet, or indirectly with physical cash that they can convert to a prepaid debit card via a cash‑to‑card kiosk.
Cash-preferred customers will enjoy the same on-site experience as other guests. When everyone is on the same payment playing field, they all benefit from shorter lines and reduced waiting times, especially at ticket and concessions counters.
Ready Credit’s payment solutions easily integrate with most POS systems, resulting in little to no downtime.
Ready to modernize your guests’ movie theater experience? Contact Ready Credit today to discover flexible and viewer-friendly payment solutions for your cinema.
