Funlab Goes No Touch
The Australian Financial Review covered Funlab's digital transformation in a September 2023 story by travel editor Fiona Carruthers, part of the AFR BOSS Most Innovative Companies 2023 report.
Funlab, a "competitive socialising experiences" company, set out to eliminate touchpoints after the pandemic. Its bowling arm, Strike, involved multiple touchpoints in a typical visit — booking, paying, transferring shoes, and managing lane elements like names, scoring, and bumpers.
COVID-19 "fundamentally changed the way guests interact with Funlab," says Blaise Witnish, chief innovation officer of the Melbourne-based company, which employs 2,500+ people across eight brands and 47 locations in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Strike accounts for 22 of those locations, all in Australia.
Key takeaways from the article:
- A digital-led book-to-bowl process. Working with key partners Brunswick and Meriq, Funlab built an automated flow: booking via eCommerce sends the guest an invoice with a QR code to check in at Strike's self-service kiosks on arrival.
- SMS guides the visit. Follow-up messages prompt guests to head to the shoe shop and let them know when their lane is ready.
- Guest control at the lane. Guests can switch between a variety of augmented reality games, toggle bumpers on or off, request food and beverage service, and have scores emailed to them.
- The payoff is service, not transactions. "This digital change means we can now spend more time enhancing the guest experience, not just focusing on the transaction," Witnish says.
Read the full article from the Australian Financial Review here.
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The pandemic. As chief innovation officer Blaise Witnish put it, COVID-19 fundamentally changed how guests interact with Funlab—and social bowling involved multiple touchpoints across booking, payment, shoes, and lane management.
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Guests book via eCommerce and receive an invoice with a QR code to check in at Strike's self-service kiosks on arrival. SMS messages then prompt them to visit the shoe shop and notify them when their lane is ready.
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They can switch between various augmented reality games, toggle bumpers on or off, request food and beverage service, and have their scores emailed.
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Melbourne-based Funlab is a competitive socializing experiences company with 2,500+ employees and eight brands across 47 locations in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Strike, its bowling brand, operates 22 locations in Australia.