Business Tips

Who is Booking Parties? Insights from 2021's Online Booking Study

As a FEC owner or operator, you're probably curious to see what 2021's data shows about who books parties. Here's some more information!


If you're a FEC owner or operator, you're probably wondering what 2021's data shows about who books parties. 

Are women still booking more parties than men? What device are they using to book? Has anything changed?

In this article, we'll answer the questions above with the data from our 2021 Online Booking Study.

NEW RESOURCE

In our 2021 Online Booking Study, you will find:

  1. Data on average party booking revenue, online store revenue by month, popular devices used, and more.
  2. Tips and suggestions to maximize revenue. 
  3. New opportunities for growth.

If you'd like to learn more, download a copy of this complimentary guide by clicking the image below!

2021 Online Booking Study - CTA - Blog

Who is Booking Parties? 

Parties Booked by Gender

2021 Online Booking Study - Gender

The majority of parties are booked by women, both offline (via phone or in-person) and online. As it appears, men are more inclined to call to book a party rather than do so online.

Knowing your target demographic and creating several buyer personas will make your marketing efforts more intentional.

Consider running an ad targeting males in your area that states that if they call in to book a party, they’ll receive a discount. For ads targeting females, add a call-to-action to “book a party online.” Then, compare the results.

Parties Booked Offline vs. Online

2021 Online Booking Study - Online vs. Offline

In previous years, the majority of parties or events were booked in-house. But in 2020, the gap between both options looked a lot smaller compared to data collected in 2019 and even 2018.

Moving forward to 2021, online bookings have now far exceeded in-house bookings.

In 2020, customers began to rely more on checking facility websites to determine availability, capacity, and to understand COVID safety protocols.

If a facility was unavailable or shut down, an online booking system allowed customers to still look at party options and book or reserve a room as soon as the facility was able to re-open.

Today, more and more customers are booking online. 2021 shows that this will continue to increase year over year.

Age Groups Celebrated

2021 Online Booking Study - Age

Children between 4-9 years old continue to be the most popular guest of honor ages celebrated at family entertainment centers.

Compared to 2020, ages 16-30 did increase by one or two percentage points, possibly due more facilities offering adult party packages.

Device Used to Book

2021 Online Booking Study - Devices

Customers are booking more parties online, but not via computer. The popularity of using mobile devices to book events continues to rise. In 2021, mobile booking increased by 5.4% while desktop has decreased by 9.1%.

Customers appreciate the convenience of browsing websites and checking out party packages on their phone. Thus, creating a mobile-friendly website is critical. 

Mobile Operating System Used

2021 Online Booking Study - Operating System

Apart from considering the popular devices used, it’s also important to consider which mobile operating system is most popular among your customers. In 2021, the use of iOS devices increased, but there are still Android users out there!

According to a Slickdeals survey, "iPhone and Android users have distinct personality traits...differences between household incomes and spending power, which could inform marketers as they seek to reach these consumers."

Thus, it’s important to test your website on both operating systems and ensure it functions properly.

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NEW Resource: No Unhappy Customers

In this resource, we share six key ways you can prevent or diffuse customer conflict at your FEC. We offer tips on behaviors you and your staff should exhibit and actions to take to resolve as quickly as possible.

Click the image below to download today!

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