A Fanatics commercial on the sideline billboard throughout the NWSL match between Houston Dash and Washington Spirit at Shell Energy Stadium on March 14, 2025 in Houston, Texas.
Aaron M. Sprecher | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
Fanatics is launching a new loyalty program, reflecting its continued development and attain within the sports activities enterprise trade.
The program, referred to as Fanatics ONE, will supply members factors for purchases throughout the corporate’s numerous companies, which now embody its sports activities merchandise enterprise, collectibles, and buying and selling playing cards, in addition to on line casino and sportsbook operations. Members will achieve entry to issues like free transport and giveaways and will have the ability to redeem their factors on every little thing from attire and merchandise to unique experiences and recreation tickets.
Tucker Kain, Fanatics’ chief technique and development officer, stated this new loyalty program highlights the corporate’s growth past merchandise, and “the opportunity to bring [it] together from a consumer and experience perspective.”
Kain stated that Fanatics has roughly 10 million folks already in its FanCash program, which it beforehand rewarded to prospects who purchased merchandise by its ecommerce platform and its app. Those customers will probably be transformed to the Fanatics ONE program.
Fanatics has a imaginative and prescient of building FanCash into “the currency of sport,” Kain stated, the place fans will have the ability to purchase not simply a new jersey or hat, however tickets, athlete meet-and-greets, entry to Super Bowl events, or Fanatics Fest, the corporate’s effort to construct a Comic-Con-like occasion for sports activities that not too long ago held its second version.
“These are things that sports fans really value and get excited about, and I think our platform is uniquely positioned to do that,” Kain stated.
Part of that speaks to the depth of Fanatics’ relationships throughout the sports activities trade that it has cast since Michael Rubin based the corporate, a three-time CNBC Disruptor 50 company, in 2011. The firm has partnerships with almost each main sports activities league, together with many who maintain fairness stakes in Fanatics just like the NFL, MLB and NHL. It has additionally struck further relationships with famous person athletes like LeBron James and Shohei Ohtani.
It additionally speaks to the corporate’s development because it has expanded past merchandise into trading cards, collectibles and sports activities betting, with Fanatics incomes greater than $8 billion in income in 2024.
Still, the majority of the corporate’s income comes from its core merchandise enterprise, and this new loyalty program will look to show extra sports activities gear buyers to what Fanatics has been doing in collectibles and betting.
Tom Brady attends Fanatics Fest NYC 2024 at Jacob Javits Center in New York City on Aug. 16, 2024.
Dave Kotinsky | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
Kain stated Fanatics is “starting to see the number of cross-platform users scale pretty dramatically,” including that “what we see is that customers that engage in all three are a much more valuable opportunity for us.”
“I think the power of the platform unlocks here, versus any individual business operating in a silo,” he stated.
From retail and quick meals to resorts and airways, many industries leverage loyalty programs to spice up enterprise and shift shopper actions whereas additionally rewarding constant prospects with bonuses and one-of-a-kind rewards.
But in contrast to a few of these different industries, sports activities have little of these. While season ticket holders could obtain sure reductions or invitations to unique occasions, there are not any league-wide or sport-specific applications. And there is definitely no cross-sport platform as massive as Fanatics.
“There has never been a loyalty program that spans sports and fandom,” Kain stated. “All of us have a different kind of fandom, different passions, different teams and athletes we like, so a program that threads those experiences can separate itself really meaningfully from other great loyalty programs.”
Kain stated Fanatics is already fascinated by methods to additional increase the program even because it solely launches on Tuesday, whether or not that is creating new and unique rewards to the potential for a Fanatics-branded bank card or partnerships with groups and leagues across the loyalty program.
“We get excited about the potential to deepen those relationships and ultimately enhance the fan experience across all sports and every kind of fandom,” Kain stated.
