by Phil Pangalos

The fight for sports fans’ attention is becoming increasingly competitive. Audiences are demanding more personalised, interactive, and seamless digital experiences across websites and mobile apps.

According to a recent Deloitte report, 68% of consumers say personalisation significantly increases their brand satisfaction – and their favorite sports leagues and teams are no exception. 

Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions are at the forefront of enabling sports organisations to meet these demands. By streamlining access and unlocking tailored fan journeys, SSO technology plays a vital role in delivering personalised digital experiences. 

In this blog post, we identify three key ways it achieves this, and we introduce Pulselive ID, our own SSO solution designed for stability, security and cost-effective scalability in sport. Read on.

#1. Tailor Your Content Strategy with SSO-Powered Insights

SSO simplifies the login process for users, providing a unified access point across all digital properties under a brand’s umbrella. As part of this process, fans can set content preferences based on their likes and interests, empowering sports organisations to deliver the most relevant experiences.

Sports organisations can enhance engagement based on individual fan profiles by leveraging both explicit and implicit personalisation techniques. What are these?

• Explicit Personalisation serves content based on users' set preferences, such as player or team-specific videos from their favorite club.
• Implicit Personalisation uses consumption habits to recommend content, typically found in a “Recommended for You” section.

By blending both types of personalisation, sports organisations create an interactive fan experience that offers users both the content they want and new discoveries, driving deeper engagement.

Whilst SSO solutions don’t directly track user activity, they are integral to improving user tracking, providing customer data platforms (CDPs) and analytics tools with a consistent user identifier. This ensures fans receive dynamic, up-to-date experiences that evolve with their interests over time, not only enhancing user satisfaction but also helping brands optimise their content strategy to maximise fan engagement.

Most SSO solutions in the market nowadays do not offer a full set of functionalities to capture user preferences. Pulselive ID, a ‘SSO+’ product, is able to fill in this gap by providing a solution to manage preferences that can enhance the overall strategy.

#2. Reduce Fan Churn with Easy Social Log-In Options

A seamless user experience is crucial for keeping sports fans engaged, and the first step in that journey – registering or signing in – is one of the most important.

Social log-in, for instance, simplifies the process by allowing fans to register and log in using their social media accounts, making sign-ins quick and hassle-free. Think of a registration process made almost in ‘auto-pilot mode’, which boosts conversion and retention rates by minimising data collection up front and reducing the risk of churn from forgotten passwords.

In fact, 77% of users believe social login is a good registration solution, while 92% would abandon a site rather than deal with password recovery or resets, demonstrating just how powerful social log-in can be for keeping fans on-platform. 

Beyond ease of access, social log-in offers sports organisations additional benefits. Once fans have linked their social media account to their favourite sports platforms, it unlocks a whole host of additional benefits including automated migration of social communities and interest (e.g. “People you may know”, “Things you may be interested in”), as well as easy-to-use sharing options, enabling fans to share their favourite content with their social network. 

In a world where 90% of Gen Z fans use social media to consume sports content, it’s evident that social log-in and SSO are powerful tools for enhancing fan engagement.

#3. Reach Global Audiences with Multi-Language Support

As mentioned, personalised content can provide end-users with unique experiences. The right SSO solution, however, can open the gateway to engaging global audiences, a critical objective of any sports organisation.

Multi-language support empowers fans to register, manage their accounts, and interact with websites and mobile apps in their preferred language, ensuring an inclusive experience for international audiences.

This includes the translation of all registration and log-in screens, as well as integration content external to the platform, such as email confirmations and forgotten password flows.

By offering a 360-degree approach to fan personalisation – covering everything from content to account management – SSO simplifies access and fosters stronger connections with a diverse, global audience.

Unlock the Full Potential of SSO with Pulselive ID

From simplifying log-in processes and enabling personalisation of content delivery, to reducing fan churn and fostering global inclusivity, SSO can offer sports organisations a transformative way to engage their audiences. These capabilities help deliver the seamless and interactive experiences that today’s sports fans demand.

Designed specifically for sports organisations and their growing audiences, Pulselive ID is designed to bring all these benefits to life. Dealing with as many as seven million fans on any one platform, Pulselive ID is a robust solution that empowers sports organisations to create tailored fan journeys, enhance retention, and connect with global audiences effortlessly and effectively. 

Ready to streamline your digital experiences? Learn more about Pulselive ID and discover how it can transform the way you connect with your audience.