The new year is only couple weeks away! And after another exciting year filled with plenty of winning moments and at least a few instances that make us utter the phrase “what was I thinking”, we’re all ready for the new year. The first step in preparing for 2022 is to take a good look at 2021.

As you gaze into the past months, you identify several areas that are performing exceptionally well at your trampoline park. You then move onto areas that could use some attention and round things off with a list of areas that need a complete overhaul. Regardless of how many wins and losses your family entertainment center had over the last year, we’re certain of one thing. You made it through another year. We also know that your list is highly focused on two key areas. Improving venue management and enhancing customer experiences.  

The software system your trampoline park utilizes to sell tickets, manage birthday parties, monitor memberships, and essentially run your venue, is likely at the top of your review list. And if it’s not, it should be!

To make your 2021 review a little easier, we’ve identified three key areas for the software portion of your review. This list will help you decide if your current software system is ready for the big goals you have set for 2022 or if it's time to make a change.

#1 Is your online booking system ready for 2022?

Millennials are the current generation with the greatest spending power, and Gen Z isn’t far behind them. There are two things everyone knows about these generations. The first known fact is that they can’t function without their cell phones. Fact number two is that they purchase everything from groceries to movie tickets online…with their cell phone. If your adventure park online booking platform isn’t keeping up with these tech savvy generations, it’s very likely that your losing potential bookings!

Clients who switched from their legacy software to Active8 Software saw an increase in online bookings after the switch! The modern look and user-friendly design of our cloud-based software makes reserving jump time, booking parties, and purchasing memberships easy!

#2 Memberships don’t have to be a hassle

Managing memberships can be a huge hassle if you don’t have the right software in place. You’re either constantly monitoring memberships to ensure that they’re working properly or checking to make sure that members were charged appropriately. It’s a huge burden. Your time is valuable. You shouldn’t be spending it monitoring recurring memberships. This is something your entertainment center software should complete automatically.

Active8 Software offers a membership platform designed to take the hassle out of recurring memberships. Our software allows you to customize your membership packages. It also includes a recurring billing feature that automatically charges customers for their membership each month. The best feature our membership platform offers is the automatic pause. If the members card on file is declined, our system will pause the membership until the customer can update the payment method.

#3 Leave online booking fees in 2021 where they belong

Consumers don’t like paying online fees. In fact, a recent study found that the number one reason customers abandon their cart during the checkout process is because extra fees are charged.

As an entertainment center owner, your goal is to ensure that your guests have an excellent experience. It's imperative that they enjoy everything from the booking process to the end of their heart pounding fun. That’s why many trampoline park owners absorb online booking fees for their customers. Thus, reducing profits on every online booking.

There’s a better way to handle online booking fees. It’s really a simple solution. Don’t charge them! Active8 Software never charges online booking fees. Our clients don’t have to choose between taking a hit on their online bookings or charging their customers a fee. It's a win for everyone involved.

How did your current software rate?

If your trampoline park software system didn’t hit the exceeds expectations on these three areas, it’s time to consider Active8 Software. Book a demo today and discover how easy we make switching your trampoline park to our cloud-based software!

Shopping cart abandonment. Those three little words often send a shiver down the spines of anyone who sells products or services online. There’s nothing more frustrating than successfully guiding a customer to your website and selling them on an enticing offer that gets them all the way to your online cart, only to lose them at the point of purchase.

It’s infuriating and comes with more questions than answers for many business owners that offer products and services online. And that my friend is why we’re writing this post.

We’ll cover the common reasons that cart abandonment occurs and paint a clear picture on how our software aims to reduce your cart abandonment rates. Buckle up! It’s going to be an exciting ride.

Cart Abandonment Rates Across All Industries – 69.57 Percent on Average

Yep. You read that correctly. A study completed by Baymard Institute found the average cart abandonment rate across all industries is just under 70 percent. That means that seven out of every ten shoppers won’t complete their transaction. Ouch!

Mobile Cart Abandonment Rates Are Higher

Unfortunately, we’ve got some more bad news on the cart abandonment front. A whopping 85.65 percent of consumers on mobile devices abandon their cart without completing the purchase. Yikes!

Don’t Despair! There’s Ways to Decrease Cart Abandonment

We would never dream of leaving you hanging after delivering news that is as terrifying as that nacho cheese explosion that still haunts your dreams. 😉 Read on to learn how Active8 Software aims to reduce cart abandonment rates at your active entertainment center.

Mobile Optimized Viewing & Navigation

Our cloud-based software is optimized for mobile viewing with large buttons that can be easily tapped without hitting another element. No “fat finger” issues here. 😊

We’ve also designed a check-out process that’s easy to navigate and doesn’t require your customer to input an excess amount of information. Tackling these two common cart abandonment issues can significantly increase cart retention.

Overcome The #1 Reason Why Customers Abandon Their Cart

In addition to researching abandoned cart rates, the Baymard Institute also completed in-depth research on why customers were abandoning their purchase. Their study cited that the number one reason consumers abandon their carts is because extra costs are too high.

Active8 Software does not charge online booking fees. That’s right! Zip. Zero. Nada. Our clients never pass along online booking fees to their customers. This means that Active8 Software clients never have to worry about “extra costs” impacting their online ticket sales.

The Real Question – How Does Active8 Software Perform On The Cart Abandonment Front?

We’ve reviewed cart abandonment issues and provided information on how our cloud-based software is designed to reduce your abandonment rates. While that information is good to have, as my grandmother would often say, “the proof is in the pudding”. How well does Active8 Software actually perform when it comes to cart abandonment?

We’re glad you asked! Active8 Software clients average a cart abandonment rate of 27-28%. That’s well below the averages reported at the beginning of this post!

If those numbers didn’t make you stop reading and click the “book a demo” button at the top of this page, then you may be thinking…My customers prefer to purchase tickets in-store. This doesn’t affect my trampoline park.

Hold onto your hat because we’re going to get real for a second and politely ask you to join us in 2021. You know…where consumers purchase literally everything online. 😊 And because we like to geek out on data, we’ll share that our clients report 25% of all purchases are made through their online carts.

Let’s Get Started – Today!

Active8 Software is purpose-built for trampoline parks, adventure parks, indoor play centers, and similar active entertainment venues. We have an intimate understanding of the day-to-day operations of your venue and want to work with you to resolve pain-points, boost your conversions, and create a customer experience that keeps your guests coming back.

Schedule a demo today and discover everything Active8 Software can offer your family entertainment center.

Birthday party packages are a staple offering at family entertainment centers. These group events can easily be the number one source of revenue for trampoline parks and similar indoor play centers. The key to hosting epic birthday parties is viewing the party planning and booking process from the customers perspective.  

Let’s dive into some key strategies and habits that active entertainment center can put to work in their quest to achieve the “best party ever” seal of approval.

Make Booking Birthday Parties Easy

Parents often choose indoor play venues for their kid’s birthday party celebration because they’re looking for a simple party solution. As an entertainment center operator, it’s imperative that you provide parents booking birthday parties with an easy booking process. A complicated system that’s difficult to navigate will likely result in Mrs. Jones booking her son’s 8^th birthday celebration at a competitor’s venue.

The Active8 Software party booking platform guides parents through the booking process. Parents can purchase pre-built party packages online from their mobile device or desktop computer. Our system also allows entertainment center staff to customize party packages on the fly.

Simplify The Invitation & Waiver Process

Waivers have been a unique challenge for active entertainment centers from the beginning. Ensuring that twenty party goers have a waiver on file, while managing the Saturday afternoon rush is often a recipe for disaster. This is especially true if you don’t have a solid process in place and a software system designed to accommodate your venues needs.

Active8 Software is purpose-built for active entertainment venues. This means that our cloud-based software is designed to overcome obstacles that plague many other systems. Our solution to the waiver dilemma was simple. We encourage parents to send out pre-built evites that include an RSVP button and digital waiver. Each evite is connected to our software and stores all information collected for the party. Parents of the guest of honor and entertainment center staff can easily see who has accepted the invite and completed the waiver. This innovative feature makes the check-in process much easier!

Expedite Party & Group Check-In’s

Digital invitations aren’t the only solution in our hat of party tricks. Birthday party attendees who haven’t signed their waivers before they arrive at the venue, can complete waivers at a self-service kiosk or tableside with the party host!

Party Management & Planning

Active entertainment centers that earn the “best party ever” seal of approval from the harshest of critics, aka preteens, are well prepared for each party and have implemented a proven process.

The Active8 Software party platform helps party hosts achieve success with built-in features like party checklists, calendar view, and tableside service.

Party Checklists – Our integrated pre-party checklist adds a time stamp to each completed task. This helps ensure that party hosts don’t miss even the smallest detail.

Calendar View – It’s easy to prepare for upcoming events and modify party schedules with our integrated calendar view. Quickly see what birthday parties and group events are scheduled with our party calendar. Managers can also modify scheduled events on the fly with our drag and drop feature.

Tableside Service – A successful birthday party is one where the party host is ready and available for the guests needs, not running back and for to the point of sale station. Our tableside feature allows party hosts to place café orders, increase or decrease the number of party guests, and monitor orders in the kitchen. All of this and more is accomplished without leaving the party room!

Let’s Get This Party Started!

Nobody parties like Active8 Software! Book a demo today to learn more about how our cloud-based software can help your entertainment center earn party bragging rights!

We LOVE summertime and as a trampoline park owner you should too! What’s not to love? Backyard bar-b-ques, beach vacations, sunny days, and an abundance of time to make new memories…at trampoline and adventure parks! Ahh…We’ve got your attention now.

Opportunity is knocking and the time to act is now! Parents have already started wondering what they will do to break the boredom cycle that seems to start the second week of June. Obviously, your family entertainment center is an answer to every parents’ dilemma, but how do you keep guests coming back all summer long? EASY! Memberships!

We like to think of memberships as the holy grail of all revenue for trampoline parks and adventure venues. Before we go into why we LOVE memberships, we want to address some common concerns we often hear about memberships.

Membership Roadblock #1

Recurring Charges – The fact that memberships offer your adventure park recurring revenue is not a concern. However, remembering to charge your guests for their membership pass each month is a time-consuming mess. At least that’s the case with other software systems! Active8 Software automatically charges members for their pass every month!

Membership Roadblock #2

Expiration Dates & Card Declines – How will I know if a member’s card expires or gets declined? Easy! Our software system alerts you and puts the membership on hold.  What else have you got?

Membership Roadblock #3

Time Consuming Set Up – While this may be the case with some software systems, with Active8 Software setting up a membership is easy! In fact, your customers can purchase memberships in-store or online. And if you ever run into any issues, our customer support team is here to help SEVEN DAYS A WEEK!

Let’s Talk Membership LOVE

Now that we’ve demonstrated how Active8 Software has overcome common issues with memberships, it’s time to discuss why we LOVE memberships.

Recurring Revenue – This one was mentioned above, but it’s such an important one that we had to highlight it again! Memberships provide your trampoline and adventure park with consistent revenue each month! This makes forecasting and managing cash flow much easier.

Repeat Visits & Customer Loyalty – Most guests who purchase a membership have visited your adventure park in the past. They enjoyed themselves so much that they’ve made the decision to join your membership program. Or simply put they’ve jumped from an occasional customer to a loyal customer who plans on visiting your venue multiple times!

Up Sell Opportunities – Active fun like jumping on a trampoline, climbing your extreme wall challenge, and conquering the ninja course is sure to work up an appetite. This means that guests who are now loyal because they purchased a membership, will spend money at your café! That’s right you’re collecting a recurring monthly payment from the guest and they purchase a soda and snack while they’re at your venue! We weren’t kidding when we said memberships were the holy grail of all revenue!

Let’s Get This Party Started!

Ready to switch? Not yet convinced and have questions? Either way we’re excited to speak with you! Please contact us to learn more about adding Active8 Software to your trampoline park, adventure park or indoor play center.

Book a demo today!

The time has finally come! You’re in the process of re-opening your family entertainment center after the pandemic closure. As you physically jump up and down with excitement a little bit of concern creeps into your happiness. Unfortunately, trampoline parks and other active entertainment centers are not returning to “business as usual.” You may be wondering what to expect as you prepare to re-open your venue.

Active8 Software is purpose-built for active entertainment centers. Our cloud-based software is designed and operated by individuals who have extensive experience in the trampoline and adventure park industry. While we know that you obviously value our opinion…I mean you trust us enough to have made it this far into our post.😊 We wanted to share real-world advice from owners who live the trampoline park life every day! So, we reached out to our wonderful clients for help!

Our Experts

Introducing our wonderful clients, who took time to share their post pandemic closure trampoline park re-opening experience…say that three times fast! 😉

First up is Daniel at House of Air Trampoline Park Crowley. Daniel is the owner/operator of House of Air Trampoline & Ninja Park, located in Crowley, Texas. Being that Texas was one of the first states to allow trampoline parks and similar active entertainment centers to re-open, Daniel has opened the longest.

Our next respondent is Tye with Altitude Trampoline Park Grand Rapids. Tye is the owner/franchisee of Altitude Trampoline Park Grand Rapids. His trampoline park in Grand Rapids, Michigan has been opened for a few months.

Welcoming Guests Back

As a family entertainment center veteran, you have a plethora of experience ensuring that your guests have an excellent time at your venue. At least you have experience in a pre-pandemic world. Don’t fret! Daniel and Tye shared that while some things have changed, many things have remained the same! We’ll start off with the easy stuff and go over what remained the same for our experts.

Our trampoline park owners reported that guests are still excited to be at their venue and out of the house. They also reported that guests are revisiting their venues at the same rate as pre-pandemic visits. Lastly, each of our aficionados stated that Birthday parties and events are still popular and that they are booking parties!

Social Distancing at Your Trampoline Park

Now that we’ve covered what’s remained the same at adventure parks, let’s move on to what has changed. And more importantly, how you can prepare for your grand re-opening.

Social distancing, sanitizing, face coverings, and enhanced cleaning practices have become a standard practice in everyday life. Trampoline parks are no exception to these standards. The question is how do you encourage social distancing at an active entertainment center?

Our re-opening experts answered that they have utilized a variety of new protocols to encourage social distancing and reduce touch points. Tye explained that they use stickers in place of wristbands to track jump time. Tye went on to say that they also installed plexiglass dividers to provide a barrier between staff and guests at the check-in area. The Altitude Grand Rapids team also requests that guests slide/tap their credit cards themselves. Daniel commented that House of Air also implemented several social distancing protocols at his adventure park. He went on to say that utilizing QR codes for all waivers has been a game changer at his entertainment center.

In addition to the above-mentioned protocols, both Daniel and Tye commented that they encourage guests to book online before arriving at their parks. In fact, both trampoline parks have seen an increase in online booking since re-opening! Just in case you were wondering…Active8 Software offers an easy-to-use online booking platform. Park guests love the easy to use online process and our clients really enjoy the fact that we don’t charge online booking fees…EVER! 😉

We’re Open!

You’ve received the green light to re-open! The staff has been educated on new cleaning procedures, how to encourage social distancing, and other necessary protocols. You reminisce about the initial grand opening of your family entertainment center and how excited you were to finally open your doors. While you recognize that it won’t be exactly the same, you’re still elated to have guests at your venue again. And you should be! This is an exciting time! Before you can welcome guests back to your venue, you must ensure that they feel comfortable coming back to your adventure park. Which brings us to the big question. How do you encourage guests to return?

We’ve got you covered….or at least our lovely clients have provided some excellent guidance. Here’s what Daniel and Tye suggested when we asked them, how they enticed their customers to visit their re-opened trampoline parks. The first suggestions were to offer discounts on jump time, limited time promotions, and membership discounts.

Next up was clean, clean, and clean some more. Each of our experts stated that it’s important for you to educate your guests on your updated cleaning standards. Tye and the team at Altitude Trampoline Park have their cleaning standards displayed prominently on their website. Daniel and his team at House of Air Trampoline Park stressed the importance of having the staff actively cleaning when guests are enjoying the park. And both of our experts continue to utilize social media to educate customers on their cleaning practices.

Top Tips!

We asked our respondents to share top tips that they would like to pass along to their fellow family entertainment center operators. Both of our park owners mentioned the importance of excellent customer service. In fact, Daniel at House of Air stated, “Customer service is more important now than ever!”. Daniel went on to reinforce the importance of active cleaning throughout jump time and stated that visible cleaning goes a long way in making guests feel comfortable.

Tye at Altitude Trampoline Parks also expressed the need for excellent customers service. Tye explained that showing empathy during these difficult times is an essential part of customer service that they’ve had to navigate since re-opening. He went on to explain that guests at his park will often voice their opinions on political topics, like mask wearing. Tye stated that the key is to keep your response to any political  comment neutral. One example he provided was to respond with “I know, this whole mess has been a real challenge. We can’t wait for it to be over.”

Stay Safe & Jump On!

Navigating difficult times is easier when you have others who have walked the path you're traveling. Which is why it's only fitting to give our two experts a huge thank you for their input and help! We are grateful to be a part of an industry that is filled with individuals who consistently lend a helping hand.

The Active8 Software team is always looking for ways to connect with our clients. We strive to listen to what’s going on at the park level and improve our software to accommodate changes. Having clients like Tye and Daniel that are willing to share experiences helps us all find a path to success!

Want to explore everything Active8 Software has to offer? Book a demo now!

Quick Question. What have you accomplished this year? You think we’re kidding. Nope! We’re 100% serious when we ask what you’ve accomplished this year. And yes, we realize that it is only January. 😊

If you’re like pretty much everyone we know, you took a deep breath as the new year began and felt a wave of relaxation pass over you. It was almost as good as sitting on the beach with your favorite beverage listening to the waves crash on the shore. At least that’s how we felt as the clock struck midnight and a year that change how we live our lives forever ended…aka 2020.

The last year taught us many valuable lessons: always have a healthy supply of toilet paper on hand and when in short supply disinfectant wipes are worth their weight in gold. 😉 It also taught us that being prepared for whatever the universe decides to throw at us is just as important as enjoying the little things. Like taking your kids to their favorite family entertainment center on a Saturday afternoon. As we slide into a new year, we have to ask…are you ready?

Ready or Not!

The answer to this question is easy…YES! We are ready to hear a roar of laughter coming from party rooms filled with excited kids. We are ready to hear kids yell as loud as they can “I made it!” when they reach the top of the climbing wall. WE ARE ALL READY…but is your software ready? Our lives and the way we live them have been changed forever. Can your software deliver the customer experience your guests now expect?

It’s 2021 and expectations have changed

In the past…you know the year 2019…purchasing online was convenient. Well, we aren’t in 2019 anymore Toto and purchasing EVERYTHING online is now more than just convenient or preferred. It is how we have purchased everything from groceries to Christmas gifts for the last several months. Which means that offering an EASY TO USE online booking process for your trampoline park or indoor play center is more essential now, than it has ever been before.

We won’t go into a ton of details about how amazing, easy to use, and modern the online booking platform is with Active8 Software. We’ll just leave this review about Active8 Software here and let one of our clients, Erick, do the talking…

“I often have guests that have already filled out waivers, bought tickets and checked themselves in all on their own, before stepping into the park. It brings me great satisfaction because it lets me know the system works and it makes my job as on operator a lot easier.”

– Erick P.
Entertainment Center Owner

Now we know that we said we wouldn’t go into detail…but we can’t help ourselves and have to mention one fact about our online booking. Our clients NEVER pay online booking fees! ZIP. ZERO. ZILCH. Whew! We feel much better now.

Take action…Now!

We’ve caught our breath. We’ve made our plans. It’s time to put your 2021 plan into action. If your plan doesn’t include evaluating a new software solution for your family entertainment center, it should. Schedule a demo with our team today to learn how Active8 Software is ready to help our customers succeed in 2021….and beyond.

Still not convinced.

Don’t take our word for it take theirs! Read all reviews about Active8 Software here.