To solve this, the club partnered with PMC to pilot a new digital commerce approach using Direct-to-Shopper (D2S). Powered by PMC’s Graphene, a cloud-native and API-first platform built on AWS Lambda, D2S enables frictionless, app-free purchasing experiences via custom microsites.

D2S delivers frictionless purchasing straight to the customer. For the club, this meant creating match-specific mobile storefronts that box holders could access either before the match, or during the match directly from the box, with no logins or downloads.

By simply scanning a QR code or tapping a link sent to their mobile device, box holders could make purchases within seconds - turning every matchday into a new sales opportunity. Alongside this, microsites can be tailored to have featured offers to help boost sales.

This allows fans to pre-order merchandise and club apparel in advance before the match day experience, with their order ready to collect at their box seats on arrival. Alternatively, fans are able to order club items from their box and have them delivered to them - all fulfilled seamlessly on-site via a pick-pack-dispatch system. Personalised goods also integrate well with D2S, allowing fans to personalise their shirts to be printed on site, with delivery straight to their box seats.

D2S also integrated seamlessly with the club’s existing retail systems and infrastructure, allowing for rapid deployment and minimal disruption.