Smart Work 2026: Online store as a sales channel for senior sports cards
The Smart Work page presents everyday innovations and success stories developed by the employees of the City of Hämeenlinna.
Hämeenlinna’s city advisory service and the service points in the former municipalities have for years sold senior sports cards aimed at Hämeenlinna residents aged 70 and over, supporting older people’s independent physical activity and the maintenance of their functional capacity. The senior sports card is a product of Hämeenlinna’s sports halls and provides benefits for sports and wellbeing services, the most widely used of which is access to the swimming centres in Hämeenlinna and Lammi. Sales have been handled manually at six service points, with around 1,400 cards sold annually.
In autumn 2024, we proposed to Hämeenlinna’s sports halls that the sale of senior sports cards be moved to an online store, in order to ease the workload at service points and modernise the entire sales process. We were aware that the old way of working involved information security risks. We presented the possibilities of an online store to Hämeenlinna’s sports halls and convinced them of its functionality. We launched the senior sports card products for sale in the online store in December 2024. Before the launch, we trained the service points in the former municipalities to use the new system. The option to purchase through the online store was promoted on social media and on our website, so that customers would find the new sales channel.
The online store has made sales more customer-friendly: customers can choose to buy online or visit a service point. When sales for a new season begin, seniors who have previously purchased a card receive an email with information and a link to the online store, where they can easily buy a card for the new period. Currently, 15% of senior sports cards are sold through the online store, and sales volume is expected to grow. Reporting has become easier and customer service more efficient. We are pleased with the results of our development work.
Developers
Sari Hautamäki, Customer Service Manager, City Advisory Service
Mia Hällström, Communications and Marketing Manager
Hanna Sipilä, Customer Service Advisor, City Advisory Service
Sari Rantanen, Customer Service Advisor, City Advisory Service