Since moving to New York City in May of 2010, I’ve become somewhat of an addict when it comes to going to the movies.
It’s a great escape from the grind of the city, and you also get to see a broad range of movies – some of which come out early or are on a more limited release.
Nonetheless, I’ve gone to a lot of movies.
My cinema of choice is in the Financial District because it’s really large and hardly ever crowded (don’t tell anyone though!).
I tend to get my ticket at the kiosk to avoid the lines, and typically stop at the concession counter for a soda/water and popcorn.
Here’s the thing.
Prior to ordering the staff person at Regal ALWAYS says, “Do you have a Regal Crown Club card?” I then respond, “No,” and they move on with my order.
The problem is that while they always make this statement, I’ve NEVER been asked if I’d like to sign up for one after responding with a no. And I mean never.
This is an example of a disconnect in the marketing process. Regal has done a great job at getting staff to ask about the card, but the follow-through doesn’t seem to be part of the equation.
Going to the movies in NYC is no cheap affair. A ticket is around $13.50 per person, and by the time you add concession you could easily be close to $30 per person.
With that said, Regal could likely capture a ton of consumer’s interests (and data) if they were moved to a more proactive process when it comes to asking people to sign up for the Club card.
And who knows, maybe they do ask people to sign up at the ticket window, but in NYC most people bypass the window because the ticket kiosks are much faster. If that happens to be the case, Regal should still retooling the process so that the concession staff becomes one of the touch points for converting customers to become members of the Club card program.
And if you are wondering, I finally accepted that I’m a movieholic a couple weeks ago and went on the Regal website to sign up for the card.
