Mansfield FC v Gateshead may not sound like the most exciting of football games to watch this weekend – but Mansfield are letting the fans decide that.
This Saturday, in hopes to drum up publicity. fan positivity and ultimately crowds, the League Two club announced they are allowing fans to pay what they want to watch the game. Fans will be able to turn up on the day, pay any amount to watch the game and sit where they want (although not in season ticket holders seats). They are even extending the offer to away fans!
“Let’s pack the ground for this match and roar the team on to victory,” said chairman Andrew Perry “We want to make it as easy as possible for the people of Mansfield to get behind the manager and players in our bid for promotion.”, while manager Dean Holdsworth said “Playing in front of a large crowd would be brilliant for the team.”
The pay-what-you-want scheme was made famous by Radiohead in 2007, where anyone could download their album and their own price. Since then, the concept has even extended to restaurants. Just today, Little Bay in Farringdon, London announced it will be operating a pay-what-you-want scheme. Restaurant owner Peter Ilic said “It’s entirely up to each customer whether they give £100 or a penny. All I’m asking is they pay me what they think the food and service is worth”
Do you think your business could run on a pay-what-you-want scheme?
Do you think you offer a strong enough Customer Experience that consumers will pay for its true value?
Or do you feel it would expose the faults in your Customer Service and lose you money? What industries would decline if they ran the scheme?
Hi Colin
I wonder whether they would have earned more by charging a higher entry price but letting customers agree to pay less (or more)?
Research in behavioural economics has shown that giving customers a complete solution at a higher price and letting them remove bits they don’t want provides higher returns than allowing customers to select just the items they want. This is connected to cognitive ownership biases.
What a strange world we live in.
Graham Hill
Customer-centric Innovator
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