Entertainment and Leisure
Just like last year, the sector came in fifth, with total results slightly below the market average. Personalization was the only pillar to show significant growth, with a score drop in NPS and the rest of the pillars. The sector also lost points in perceived value for money and the ratings reflect that, with customers often mentioning being unhappy with the price. They are willing to accept a higher price tag, but only if they receive a better service or something extra in return. As for the winner’s podium, this year it was taken by the representatives of three out of the five subsectors in this category. Music streaming platform Spotify, which came in second last year, now holds the crown, followed by CineStar movie theatres and Ticketportal, a ticket-selling site that’s also the sector’s biggest climber.
A little money that goes a long way
The victorious Spotify sets a clear direction for the sector’s future by actively increasing personalization options – a must for a service that offers an infinite number of “products” and wants to be user-friendly. Spotify improved scores in four out of six pillars – integrity, personalization, expectations, and empathy, with users very happy with a vast musical catalogue to choose from and the personalized playlists feature. Those put together by the platform based on listeners’ preferences are especially popular.
Customers often see Spotify as a part of their daily lives, and it’s hard for them to imagine listening to music any other way. Technical aspects of the app also received high praise in customer evaluations, namely problem-free streaming, high sound quality, and intuitive user interface. Spotify does very well in terms of perceived value for money, too – customers see the price in the context of an enormous library that offers not only music but podcasts and their favourite creators as well. And last but not least, student discounts are praised quite often.
Fun with a cherry on top
The sector confirms the sentiment that permeates the entire study (yet again this year): customers are willing to pay more only when they receive an absolutely perfect product or service in return, or better yet when there are extra benefits or surprises. In the case of Spotify, that would be student discounts, while CineStar wins customer approval with a loyalty programme and special promos and events.
Despite CineStar losing a few total CEE points and dropping in perceived value for money, many customers still mentioned the positives, like clean and comfortable theatres, friendly staff, or easy-to-use online seat reservation. Better snack selection was also mentioned in comparison to competing theatres, but so was the higher price.
Top three (scale 0–10)
„A huge musical library and a discounted subscription for students. I can always find something to listen to, the sound quality is great, and there are tons of podcasts as well. The only thing I want is new features coming to our region sooner.“
Woman, age 21, Spotify
„A killer app for streaming music. I use it every day and the premium subscription is worth every penny – it’s inexpensive and you can easily split it with other people.“
Man, age 19, Spotify
„My favourite theatre, I love coming here. Recently they introduced a system where you collect points for purchasing snacks, too, not just tickets, which is nice. And there’s always a ton of promotions and events in the summer.“
Man, age 36, CineStar
„The only seller I trust enough to buy event tickets. I also like that I have a user account where I can see my purchase history.“
Woman, age 31, Ticketportal
Hassle-free fun
Ease of purchase or an easy-to-navigate app or website is a must for customer satisfaction in this sector. People looking for entertainment don’t want to deal with any hassle or issues, a phenomenon clearly demonstrated by Ticketportal’s customer reviews that praise easy navigation, speed of purchase, simplicity, or different ticket formats to choose from – because while you might prefer to print your tickets out, some might want to download them to their smartphone instead. Ticketportal also did well in terms of integrity, with customers seeing the brand’s name as a guarantee of legitimacy.
Smart solutions
There is a lot of potential to apply AI in the entertainment sector, mostly to personalize content to match the customer’s preferences, be it playlist generation or genre suggestions based on previous likes. Apart from that, AI could also do a lot to improve the accessibility of foreign-language content.
A DJ and an interpreter in your pocket
Spotify already uses artificial intelligence to personalize suggested content, launching a new feature in selected locations: an AI DJ, complete with a voice model, to introduce a new level of content personalization with your own personal music guru giving comments on artists and songs in a realistic voice.
Another thing AI can help with is translations, with Spotify currently working on an AI real-time interpreting pilot program that would allow listeners to enjoy any podcasts in their chosen language, and with the same voice and tone as the original speaker.
Entertainment and Leisure
