The challenge
- Market headwinds: Canada’s economy shrank in Q2 2025 and uncertainty remained high, creating pressure on discretionary spend for attractions.
- Tourism mix shifting: Analysts expected modest overall tourism spending growth with a heavier reliance on domestic visitors.
The hypothesis
If you give guests a clear, bite-sized upgrade that adds obvious value to the core visit priced to feel like a no-brainer you can lift revenue without undermining satisfaction. Arcadia Earth’s planetarium add-on (available on their Toronto site) fit that mold while complimenting the museum’s sustainability narrative.
What Arcadia Earth did:
- Priced the add-on at $8. Low friction, easy yes. The same price as a coffee.
- Made it visible throughout the buying journey’s three moments:
- Pre-purchase at checkout.
- Post-purchase in CRM flows before the guest arrives on site.
- On-site via QR and staff prompts for walk-ups.
- Aligned the story: The dome deepened the core mission rather than feeling bolted-on.
- Capacity-aware scheduling: Showtimes slotted to absorb demand without clogging entry flow.
Results
- Attach rate: 42.55% of guests purchased the planetarium (advance + on-site).
- Revenue per guest: +23.14% uplift.
- Time on site: ~+50% per guest (deeper engagement with exhibits and merchandise zones).
Why it worked
- Obvious value: A complete extra experience, not a trinket.
- Limited time run: The add on was only available this Summer. Giving potential guests a reason to visit now.
- Right price psychology: A single-digit add-on rarely triggers budget friction.
- Consistent placement: Sales and communication were persistent to guests, reinforcing the value of the add-on.
