Ajax fans, like all consumers these days, are used to being able to control and view everything on their phones. The digital Ajax experience thus became primarily a mobile experience. Storing, securing, and always having entrance tickets available was the key feature. But the app was also meant to offer fans a way to follow all the latest Ajax news, buy merchandise and feel connected to their club in myriad ways. Developing a new mobile app was therefore an important start of the collaboration with Ajax.

In the new app, users were given access to their own profile data, the complete match schedule and current Ajax news. But the most important feature was mobile tickets.This functionality proved to be extremely valuable during the pandemic, when Ajax had to know exactly who had been in the stadium and when. Because visitors registered via the app, this was easy and user-friendly. A live scoreboard and the ability to vote for King of the Match made the app fun to use and generated a lot of engagement and connection between fans. 

At the beginning of 2019, the CMS behind Ajax.nl was very outdated, which made extensions and adjustments difficult. Many different systems were running in the backend: the ticketing system, the fan shop, the CRM that drove My Ajax, and several separate websites for business and partnerships created integration challenges. We implemented a new CMS and site and integrated them with the app for a simpler and more effective content process.

What do most people want to do once they have bought a ticket for match in the Ajax app? Exactly: buy a scarf or a shirt. Better integration of the online fan shop therefore provided additional revenue. We integrated a recommendation engine into the app, website and fanshop. This allowed us to show the right merchandise at the right time.

In terms of agility and flexibility, Ajax and Triple are very evenly matched, so even in times of empty offices, forced home working and many video meetings, we were able to work well and effectively together. We did the development here at Triple, with our own multidisciplinary team, with continuous open communication between the teams. This allowed us to speed up internally, while still keeping all eyes on the common goal. What was incredibly convenient was that our team was largely made up of Ajax fanatics. This allowed us to really empathize with the emotions and experiences of true fans.

A huge number of users have since registered on the new app and website. In doing so, we exceeded the project objectives by 100%. The collected data will help us in the coming years to improve the experience and get even more revenue from the app and site.