Merlin Entertainments boosts online ticket sales with a global eCommerce solution from IBM
Company Size
1,000+
Country
- United Kingdom
- Worldwide
Product
- IBM WebSphere Commerce software
- IBM Global Business Services
Tech Stack
- eCommerce platform
- WebSphere Commerce
- Global Business Services
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Cost Savings
- Customer Satisfaction
- Productivity Improvements
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
About The 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.
The 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.
The 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.
Operational Impact
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