From sports and hospitality to media and entertainment, one of the biggest priorities for organizations across industries has always been to provide a consistent and satisfactory customer experience. But with the introduction of advanced technologies like AI, AR/VR, and biometrics, customers’ expectations have been completely upended. Today, people expect to not only be satisfied, but to be completely immersed, with each interaction or event being truly unique and memorable.
These immersive experiences are the future of customers’ interactions with brands. At Globant, we’re seeing it happen before our very own eyes. With collaboration between our many Studios, from Sports Reinvention to Immersive Experiences, Globant has been able to partner with key clients in the industry to raise the bar on global expectations for frictionless, seamless experiences. Let’s take a look at three exemplary brands reshaping phygital experiences for an enhanced customer experience.
Intuit Dome
In sports, when discussing the incredible fan experience, the Los Angeles Clippers’ new home, Intuit Dome, immediately comes to mind. The Intuit Dome is one-of-a-kind in that it was designed and built from the ground up to provide the ultimate fan experience, leveraging cutting-edge technologies that integrate physical and digital elements.
Globant has provided consulting on the overall digital strategy and roadmap for the Intuit Dome; assessed and identified the best products, partners, and experiences; and designed and implemented a seamless, end-to-end experience for staff, players, and fans.
High-level innovations at the Intuit Dome include an identity management platform focused on fan centricity and a seamless customer ticketing experience. They also extend beyond the court itself, including a frictionless platform for parking, access control, food and beverage purchasing, and a next-gen real-time loyalty platform based on fan behavior, among others.
With these advances, the Intuit Dome has completely transformed what was previously thought possible for a sports arena, maximizing fan engagement both at the arena and at home. This creates an experience beyond any other which supports the players on the court, the staff in ensuring a seamless experience, and the community in engagement and fanship.
Royal Caribbean International
One of the biggest names in hospitality and travel is Royal Caribbean, commanding 20% of all cruise travel globally. And these cruises can include up to 7,000 people—making it even more essential to prioritize customer experience at scale. To provide an exceptional guest experience for so many people, Royal Caribbean has robust digital tools, including a comprehensive app. The massive amount of traffic on its app requires Royal Caribbean to have a strong internal system in place to manage suppliers and processes, in order to continuously improve and scale its digital tools.
Given these challenges, Globant worked with Royal Caribbean to improve access to reliable, real-time data for better forecasting at scale. This included taking action to create vendor consolidation, a global delivery model, and a simplified operating model. These innovations continue to allow the major cruise liner to put the customer first.
Royal Caribbean understands investing in future-fitness. The cruise brand recognized that building a future-ready organization requires a continuous evolution of internal processes and ways of working in order to maintain a competitive advantage. With the ability to scale and improve its digital app and other services, Royal Caribbean has been able to provide guests with serious perks: real-time information, greater personalization, a smoother and more reliable boarding experience, exclusive savings, and more. Overall, the integration of the Royal Caribbean app with guests’ physical time on board has ultimately enabled a richer, frictionless travel experience.
Qiddiya
In the entertainment industry, too, frictionless experiences are revolutionizing the way fans and guests think of and engage with events, venues, and content. Changing the very definition of entertainment is the goal for Globant and Qiddiya, who recently announced a new partnership to create a state-of-the-art digital ecosystem for Qiddiya City, Saudi Arabia’s new destination for immersive entertainment, sports, and culture.
One of the highlights of the planned collaboration is Qiddiya’s “PLAY LIFE Connected Experience,” which will offer visitors a seamless, personalized interface to book events and manage their itineraries, providing real-time updates and recommendations tailored to individual preferences.
By allowing guests to enjoy brand new, completely unique, technology-enabled experiences in a way that is seamless and worry-free, Qiddiya will permanently alter the status quo for guest satisfaction, engagement, and loyalty in entertainment. Simultaneously, Qiddiya will show how frictionless experiences can power new revenue streams and long-term brand loyalty.
What Does the Future Hold?
As technology continues to evolve, frictionless experiences will become the norm in entertainment. Blockchain-powered ticketing, 5G-enabled ultra-fast connectivity, and AI-driven concierge services are just a few advancements we may see embraced by beloved brands in the coming years.
We’re seeing technology-powered frictionless experiences make interactions more personalized, accessible, and engaging than ever before, fundamentally reshaping the expectations of fans and guests. As these innovations continue to influence the media, entertainment, sports, and hospitality industries, audiences can anticipate a future where every moment is effortless, immersive, and memorable. And with technologies like AI advancing rapidly and becoming more widely available, the adoption of frictionless experiences could extend far beyond these industries, transforming countless aspects of daily life.
