Disney is well known for providing the ultimate entertainment experience, and for some time they have also been trying to expand the customer on-site experience at their parks with RFID technology.
As of May 20, 2013 Disney passholders can change their common paper passes into a new card that allows visitors to use the new touch-to-enter feature at the theme park’s main entrances. But what is more exciting is that in the coming months, Disney will launch the “MagicBand.”
What is the MagicBand?
The MagicBand is part of a broader effort to make Disney park visits less daunting, more enjoyable, and personalized. The MagicBand is part of Disney’s new loyalty program; it combines a mobile and a cloud solution using a RFID wristband. Once the user has registered, the MagicBand will make a lot of things possible.
What you can do with the MagicBand ?
• Pay with the MagicBand at the entrance and inside the park
• Unlock your hotel room
• Get personalized experiences at attractions
• Pre-book and access attractions
I think these are a lot of nice possibilities, and the whole solution seems to have proper support for its integration. Disney is spending an estimated $800 million to $1 billion on bringing a fresh, engaging, and exciting experience through a makeover for the Disney parks. Of course, Disney will collect valuable data about its visitors’ behavior inside the parks. Examples of evaluating this data might include “people who eat in restaurant A are more likely to stay in hotel B and eager to use attraction C.”
What about social media integration?
Disney seems to have nailed it once again and is ahead the curve when it comes to providing an interactive and next-generation experience for children who are growing up with smartphones, the Internet and social media at their fingertips.
Nevertheless, one major question arises in my mind when seeing all this integration. Will Disney link up the MagicBand with social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter?
This would allow people to share their experience in real-time with their friends, frictionless with a simple swipe. It seems like a great opportunity for Disney. Seeing friends having fun at Disney is powerful advertising that can not be matched..