Mets
The Mets launch the franchise’s first loyalty program, Mets Connect, to reward fans for purchases, engagement and more. Mets Connect will be hosted on the MLB Ballpark app.
Rewards points can be redeemed for free tickets and discounts, admission to exclusive experiences at Citi Field and team events, and video appearances by Mr. and Mrs. Met. The optional Mets Connect program also helps the club learn more about its fans so it can provide them with a more personalized experience.
“We really want to reward them for being Mets fans and engaging with our brand,” said Oscar Fernandez, SVP/Technology for the Mets, “and we thought the best way to do that would be through a digital platform and bringing them to a place they know to meet them where they come to us, which in many cases is the ballpark app.”
Mets Connect also rewards fans not only for purchasing tickets, but also for redeeming them, which is tracked by a scan at the entrance.
“There’s a big gap today – and I think most clubs have it – when it comes to understanding what the fans and guests are doing in the facility,” Fernandez said. “You know a lot about the season ticket holders, you know a lot about the individual game buyers, but we don’t really know much about the behavior and habits of all the people who are the chaperones.”
Mets
“The goal here is definitely to create a better experience for fans by collecting all this data and learning more information,” he added. “And of course there are business goals from a revenue generation perspective, and we feel that knowing more about the fans we don’t know will help us provide the best offers.”
Fernandez explained that the goal of the interface was to be familiar and easy to navigate, mimicking what fans are used to from airlines and fast-food restaurants, for example. Each attendee will receive a scannable digital membership card in the ballpark app.
“Our guiding principle with much of the program was to keep it as simple and easy to use as possible, because it’s what you’re going to use on a game day,” said Caroline Hoos, vice president of technology solutions. “Maybe you’re waiting for your burger at Shake Shack and you don’t want to have to fumble with your phone. You want it to be as simple and easy to use as possible.”
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The Mets have been working with MLB and third-party vendors to develop the program over the past four months, and the goal of rolling it out this season is to test it for fan feedback before making Mets Connect more robust in 2025. Fernandez noted that the program is a good example of the team’s culture shift under new president of business operations Scott Havens.
Although Mets Connect is included in the ballpark app, it is designed to engage fans who can’t make it to games due to cost or distance. Users can earn points by completing surveys and other interactive games in the app. Future versions, Fernandez said, could include incentives for activity in other areas of the MLB digital ecosystem, such as streaming games on MLB.TV, purchasing equipment online and visiting the website.
