Major Cineplex banks on new stored-value card
Major Cineplex Group will replace all its cards with a new M-Cash card that enables moviegoers to reserve and pay for movie tickets anytime and anywhere.
The new card will be launched in an attempt to increase movie- watching frequency and to raise its current 75-per-cent market share to 80 per cent. Anavach Ongvasith, chief of Cinema Business and of Media Sales, said yesterday the card would first be introduced to a small group of customers by the end of the month in order to test its performance. The company hopes to formally launch it on April 18. The M-Cash card is available in values of Bt300, Bt500, Bt800, Bt1,000 and Bt2,000. The cards - valid from one month to one year - each contain a specific code that a customer can use as a password to reserve movie tickets from anywhere, with the value in the card automatically cut. Customers can also use the stored-value cards to reserve other entertainment services, such as bowling and karaoke. The card will increase customer convenience and reduce the need to use credit cards, said Anavach. He believes that the advantages of the M-Cash card will lead to more frequent visits to the cinema, from the current once or twice to three or four times per month. Moreover, the card will attract people who rarely watch movies. As an early step, the company will launch the six M-Cash cards that segment its customers by watching frequency. In the future, the company plans to launch 40-50 cards that will divide customers into many specific segments, such as by watching times (morning, afternoon, evening, and night) and by age. Another attempt to increase the frequency is to let all movie theatres in the same area show the movie programmes of each other. By doing this, moviegoers who come to a specific branch of Major Cineplex or EGV, its partner, and find their desired movies are not showing at expected time will have a chance to see the programmes of other branches in the same zone, and make reservations by phone. Major Cineplex has 32 branches nationwide, 276 screens, and 67,000 seats. This year, it is allocating Bt700 million-Bt800 million to expand theatres, bowling lanes, and karaoke to Koh Samui in Surat Thani, Phitsanulok, Pattaya, and the Esplanade project on Ratchada Road, said Major Cineplex chairman Vicha Poolvaraluck. Its occupancy rate per theatre is 50 per cent during weekends and 20 per cent during working days.
Nitida Asawanipont The Nation
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