San Diego Padres

The client

The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego, California. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home games at Petco Park.

Overview

The need to provide a safer experience for returning fans and staff, coupled with the drive to improve the fan experience and maximise revenues saw the Padres seek out a partner who could provide a frictionless, contactless and easy-to-implement mobile pay solution. San Diego Padres chose to partner with Tappit who implemented the white-label mobile pay solution, integrated directly with the MLB Ballpark app. ‘Padres Pay’ went live for the start of the 2021 baseball season. Fans benefit from having a frictionless, touchless and fast purchasing experience. The Padres benefit from a speedier and safer transaction experience for fans and staff. The data and insights on every fan is used to drive operational efficiencies and maximise revenue. 

Integration & timeline

With the partnership agreement completed 8 weeks ahead of launch – Tappit delivered 6 integrations and worked with multiple vendors and partners (concessionaires, point of sale, payment gateways, mobile ordering) to ensure a smooth launch for fans, the team and tech partners. Padres Pay was launched successfully to fans and concessionaires in time for the first home game. 

Tappit solution

Tappit offered a full cashless implementation within only 8 weeks to go before launch:

⚬ Improved fan experience.   ⚬ Safety.   ⚬ Increased fan engagement.   ⚬ Data & insights.   ⚬ Increased revenue.

The Results

1. Increased revenue The increased spend of Padres Pay users of over 25% on average, means that the more the fans use it, the more revenue comes to the Padres.
2. Improved fan experience Faster transactions resulted in shorter lines – reducing risk of viral transmission and ensuring fans did not miss the game. Concessions were able to serve fans faster – increasing sales at the same time.
3. Seamless integration The integration with mobile ordering delivers a contact-free way for fans to get their refreshments without missing a moment of the game.
4. Saving time The reporting enables rapid delivery of reconciliations and reporting – creating a clear, accurate third party record of transactions and items – reducing fraud, theft and operational resources required.