IBM Case Studies Merlin Entertainments boosts online ticket sales with a global eCommerce solution from IBM

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	Merlin Entertainments boosts online ticket sales with a global eCommerce solution from IBM IBM

Merlin Entertainments boosts online ticket sales with a global eCommerce solution from IBM

IBM

Technology Category	Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Connectivity Platforms
Applicable Industries	Consumer Goods Retail
Applicable Functions	Business Operation Sales & Marketing
Use Cases	Supply Chain Visibility
Services	Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services Software Design & Engineering Services
Challenge	Merlin Entertainments, the second largest theme park and attractions company in the world, had no single, consistent process for online ticket sales. The cost of sales was variable, online cross-marketing and promotions were difficult, and there was no global sales visibility. The company was maintaining several separate solutions internally, and its outsourced service providers were also charging a significant fee per ticket sold. Equally, Merlin Entertainments was unable to run effective cross-marketing or cross-brand promotional activities online, and could not easily see online sales performance across all brands and sites. Read More
About Customer	Merlin Entertainments Group is the second largest theme park and attractions company in the world, with more than 70 sites globally. In the UK, Merlin Entertainments operates Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventures, Thorpe Park, Sea Life, Legoland, the London Eye, Madame Tussauds, Warwick Castle and more. The company employs more than 15,000 people during its peak trading periods, and generated operating profits of £198 million in the 2010 financial year. When the merger with Tussauds was completed in 2007, the new group ran strategic reviews of all functional silos, aiming to identify opportunities for consolidation and rationalisation. Read More
Solution	IBM Global Business Services developed and now supports a strategic global eCommerce solution based on IBM WebSphere Commerce software, supporting 60 global attractions, 13 languages, seven currencies and 16 payment methods. The solution provides a single platform for online ticket sales, enabling cross-selling, up-selling, cross-brand promotions and near real-time global visibility of ticket sales. While it brings operational and reporting consistency, it also supports complete flexibility in presentation, enabling each of Merlin Entertainments brands and attractions to create their own user interfaces and branding. IBM provided a complete turnkey solution for Merlin Entertainments, combining business and technical consulting, technical architecture, software development, infrastructure design and implementation, global rollout, and fully managed support. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Connectivity Platforms

Applicable Industries

Consumer Goods

Retail

Applicable Functions

Business Operation

Sales & Marketing

Use Cases

Supply Chain Visibility

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services

Software Design & Engineering Services

Challenge

Merlin Entertainments, the second largest theme park and attractions company in the world, had no single, consistent process for online ticket sales. The cost of sales was variable, online cross-marketing and promotions were difficult, and there was no global sales visibility. The company was maintaining several separate solutions internally, and its outsourced service providers were also charging a significant fee per ticket sold. Equally, Merlin Entertainments was unable to run effective cross-marketing or cross-brand promotional activities online, and could not easily see online sales performance across all brands and sites.

About Customer

Merlin Entertainments Group is the second largest theme park and attractions company in the world, with more than 70 sites globally. In the UK, Merlin Entertainments operates Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventures, Thorpe Park, Sea Life, Legoland, the London Eye, Madame Tussauds, Warwick Castle and more. The company employs more than 15,000 people during its peak trading periods, and generated operating profits of £198 million in the 2010 financial year. When the merger with Tussauds was completed in 2007, the new group ran strategic reviews of all functional silos, aiming to identify opportunities for consolidation and rationalisation.

Solution

IBM Global Business Services developed and now supports a strategic global eCommerce solution based on IBM WebSphere Commerce software, supporting 60 global attractions, 13 languages, seven currencies and 16 payment methods. The solution provides a single platform for online ticket sales, enabling cross-selling, up-selling, cross-brand promotions and near real-time global visibility of ticket sales. While it brings operational and reporting consistency, it also supports complete flexibility in presentation, enabling each of Merlin Entertainments brands and attractions to create their own user interfaces and branding. IBM provided a complete turnkey solution for Merlin Entertainments, combining business and technical consulting, technical architecture, software development, infrastructure design and implementation, global rollout, and fully managed support.

Impact #1	Reduces cost of sales, as a higher proportion of ticket sales are made online
Impact #2	Cuts queuing, improves cash flow and reduces sensitivity of ticket sales to bad weather
Impact #3	Delivers greater marketing control and global sales reporting

Impact #1

Reduces cost of sales, as a higher proportion of ticket sales are made online

Impact #2

Cuts queuing, improves cash flow and reduces sensitivity of ticket sales to bad weather

Impact #3

Delivers greater marketing control and global sales reporting

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Overview

Merlin Entertainments boosts online ticket sales with a global eCommerce solution from IBM

Operational Impact