Using Reminders with Different Reward Opportunities to Reduce No-Show Behavior: Empirical Evidence from a Large-Scale Field Experiment in Professional Sports

Abstract

Because no-show behavior typically leads to operational inefficiencies and thus diminishing returns for service firms, a growing number of authors have demonstrated the potential of using reminders to reduce no-show rates. In this study, by examining the behavioral responses of 13,911 season ticket holders of a professional football team in Germany, we assess whether reminders containing different reward opportunities reduce no-show behavior in professional sports. According to the results of our large-scale field experiment, the reminders have only a short-term effect that operates most effectively through a monetary gift reward with no persistent behavioral change in subsequent games. As regards individual characteristics, spectators who attended the stadium more infrequently during the season under study, who had front row seats, or had seated rather than standing arrangements were also more likely to respond to the treatment.