Transcript Pricing and Raw Data
AMUSEMENT PARKS
By Marc Sourour, Ben Chartock, and Megan Eisenbrown
Agenda
Industry Structure Pricing Strategies Raw Data Analysis Recommendations
Why Amusement Parks?
Highly Concentrated Industry Huge Variety in Pricing Strategies Ease of Access to Data Entertaining to Research
INDUSTRY STRUCTURE
Amusement Parks in the United States
Industry Overview
•
Definition:
This industry is made up of
amusement
and
theme park
companies that operate mechanical rides, water rides, games, themed exhibits, refreshment stands and other attractions •
Amusement Parks:
• Not themed and simply consist of distinct attractions or rides.
•
Theme Parks:
park.
Have a specific theme in one or more areas of the
Product Segmentation
(by percent of industry revenue)
Theme Parks in the Southeast 38% Theme Parks in the West 19% Amusement and Water Parks 20% Theme Parks in Other US Regions 23%
Theme parks account
80.0%
of total industry revenue.
Market Segmentation
Competitive Landscape
Major Player Market Share
• • • •
Enterprises:
457
Major Players:
5
HHI:
1865.21*
C 4 :
73%
8% 8% 19% 36%
The Walt Disney Company Universal Parks & Resorts SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment Six Flags Inc.
11% 18%
Cedar Fair LP Other • •
Highly
concentrated Industry The top four players in this industry will account for over 70% of total industry revenue.
Barriers to Entry
High Competition High Concentration Technology Change Factors affecting entry Mature Life Cycle High Capital Costs Area of Land Required Overall difficulty of entry: High
Product Differentiation
1 2 3 4 In response to this high level of competition in this industry, the major players must
differentiate
their parks.
Industry Organization
Supply Industries Beer Wholesaling Demand Industries Hotels & Motels Confectionery Wholesaling Amusement Parks Consumers
Demand Drivers
Real household disposable income
Per Capita Disposable Income
Other social factors Social or geopolitical factors that influence travel Seasonal factors
Demand Drivers
FY13:
The increase in per capita disposable income is expected to drive growth in the industry in 2013.
Government Regulation
• Regulation of the industry is
medium
but increasing • Regulatory Agents: • The Federal Consumer Product Safety Commission • Occupational Health and Safety Administration • Missouri, Utah, and District of Columbia do not require any regular inspections
The Walt Disney Company
• • • • •
Market Share
: 36.0%
FY12 Profits:
$12.9 billion
5-Year Growth Rate:
4.0%
Brand Names:
Disneyland, Walt Disney World Resort
In the news:
Redesign completion
Major Players
Universal Parks & Resorts
• • • • •
Market Share
: 17.3%
FY12 Profits
:$2.3 billion
5-Year Growth Rate
: 12.4%
Brand Names:
Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure
In the news
Harry Potter : The Wizarding World of
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
• • • •
Market Share:
11.0%
FY12 Profits:
$1.4 billion
5-Year Growth Rate
:2.3%
Brand Names:
SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Adventure Island, Discovery Cove, Waterworld Country USA, Sesame Place, Aquatica
Major Players Continued
Cedar Fair LLP. • • • •
Market Share:
8.2%
FY12 Profits:
$1.1 billion
5-Year Growth Rate
:1.6%
Brand Names:
Valleyfair Knott’s Berry Farm, Cedar Point, Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, Six Flags Inc. • • • • •
Market Share:
8.20%
FY12 Profits:
$1.1 billion
5-Year Growth Rate:
2.1%
Brand Names:
Six Flags
In the news:
emergence from bankruptcy in 2010
PRICING STRATEGIES
3 rd degree price discrimination • Affiliations 2 nd degree price discrimination • Seasonality • • Time sensitivity Quantity discounts 1 st degree price discrimination • Booking choices
Affiliations
• Florida residents, Disney Club members, annual passholders, and members of the U.S. Military can purchase Walt Disney World park tickets at a discounted price.
• Universal Orlando also offers discounted pricing for Florida residents.
Seasonality
• Hotel prices at Walt Disney World fluctuate based on the time of the year.
Disney's Pop Century Resort Price (Avg/Night)
220 200 180 160 140 120 100 5.3.13
6.3.13
7.3.13
8.3.13
9.3.13
10.3.13
Check-in Date (6-night stay)
11.3.13
12.3.13
1.3.14
Seasonality
• Six Flags offers Junior pricing for everyone through May 27 nd when you bring in a can of Coca-Cola.
• Universal offers a 3 rd day free with the purchase of a 2-day ticket until June 30 th .
Time Sensitivity
• Consumers that are more time sensitive will have to pay more.
• Different levels of the “FLASH Pass” exist to extract additional consumer surplus.
$125 $80 $45
• • “Express Pass” prices are based on demand and seasonality for Universal.
Disney has a free ‘regular flash pass’.
Sun Mon Tue
December 2013
Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6
$35.99 $35.99 $35.99 $35.99 $35.99 $45.99 $55.99
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
$45.99 $35.99 $35.99 $35.99 $45.99 $45.99 $55.99
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
$45.99 $55.99 $55.99 $55.99 $55.99 $55.99 $55.99
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
$55.99 $55.99 $55.99 $69.99 $89.99 $119.99 $119.99
29 30 31
$119.99 $89.99 $69.99
•
“The Longer You Play, The Less You Pay Per Day!”
Similarly to most amusement parks, Disney’s pricing structure provides those who spend more time at the park with cheaper tickets.
• • •
Six Flags Price Discrimination
Six Flags ticket purchasing location
Purchasing tickets online will save you $25 on a general admission ticket.
• Junior ticket price is the same online or at the park.
Age (3+) and height (4.5ft or 1m37) discrimination are in effect.
Buying more than three Season Passes will reduce the cost per pass.
Online 71% At the park 29%
Booking choices
Book your Disney vacation here!
Confusion
• A search for a booking at Walt Disney World lead to 26 hotels available, 4 rooms in one of the hotels, more than 4 ticket options, 6 dining options, and 3 transportations options. That amounts to over 7,488 price points!!
• Each phase of reserving your booking allows you to add more options, increasing the cost of the trip.
• Allows Disney to approach 1 st degree price discrimination.
RAW DATA ANALYSIS
Via online survey results: • • • • Competition Factors & Pricing Demand for Bundling Advanced Booking Demand Price Discrimination on peak times
Number of people visiting each park
Competition & Monopoly Pricing
• Data collected: Information regarding
appetite for “thrill rides & exciting roller coasters,”
as well as data regarding individuals’
visits to the top amusement parks
in the United States (based on a 2011 industry report -
Attendance Report) Global Attractions
Estimating Park Extremeness
• Question: Does Disney offer a different level of “extremeness” than Universal Studios?
| Summary of risk appetite Disney | Mean Std. Dev. Freq.
------------+----------------------------------- 0 | 4.3846154 1.1208971 13 1 | 4.08 1.1924935 50 ------------+----------------------------------- Total | 4.1428571 1.1757927 63 | Summary of risk appetite Universal | Mean Std. Dev. Freq.
------------+----------------------------------- 0 | 4 1.0540926 19 1 | 4.2045455 1.2309865 44 ------------+----------------------------------- Total | 4.1428571 1.1757927 63 | Summary of risk appetite both | Mean Std. Dev. Freq.
------------+----------------------------------- 0 | 4.173913 1.0292174 23 1 | 4.125 1.2646577 40 ------------+----------------------------------- Total | 4.1428571 1.1757927 63
THRILL CONTINUM
Monopolistic Competition
• Are the Big Two parks behaving more like oligopolists and driving prices up, or is competition driving prices down?
• Both factors are at play!
• Differentiated products on the thrill scale indicate lessened competition and prices driven up • Close proximity (both located in Orlando) indicates competitive behavior and prices driven down
Park attendance by region
If you were given a chance to go to one of the major amusement parks in the United States for an overnight stay, which region would you chose to go to?
128 respondents
Should I go to Florida or California?
Should I go to Florida or California?
Demand for Mixed Bundling
Price Discrimination on Peak Times
•
Florida residents can buy tickets to Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Night at different prices depending on which day one wants to go: Sundays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays are $41.99, on Friday the price is $51.99, and on Saturday it is $66.99. Which night would you buy a ticket for?
•
We measured the time and price sensitivity of 128 students facing this hypothetical choice.
Which day would you buy a ticket for?
DATA SHOWS: 1) More people are interested in off peak, lower price tickets than high price weekend tickets 2) We see evidence of aversion to buying the highest price tickets. Preferences tend away from the extreme.
Industry Outlook
• Strong revenue outlook • Travel spending expecting to increase • Decline in unemployment rates
Investment Recommendation
• No clear strategy • Several ways to invest in theme parks • Cedar Fair and Six Flags are the most concentrated bets in the industry,
BUT
• Disney is the leader in theme parks,
BUT
• Blackstone’s (owner of SeaWorld) future is unclear Source: USA Today “The Ups and Downs of Investing in Theme Parks”
Recommendations
• Disney should advertise its free basic “flash pass” or begin charging for it, even a small amount would lead to an almost 100% margin on the pass.
• The industry should continue their current pricing structure, the confusion caused by all the choices causes increased extraction of consumer surplus.
Recommendations
•
Advertise, Advertise, Advertise!
- Major Players in the industry should highlight heterogeneity of the products offered in continued advertising campaigns.
This will drive up prices & increase revenue by changing demand.
Questions?
Book your Disney vacation here!