Online ticketing systems have become an indispensable part of our modern society. From booking flights and hotels to securing tickets for concerts and sports events, online ticketing platforms allow us to plan and purchase tickets for a wide range of activities with just a few clicks. But what exactly is the purpose and benefit of these online systems? In this article, we will explore the core functions and goals of online ticketing services.
Accessibility
One of the primary purposes of online ticketing systems is to make tickets more accessible to consumers. In the past, individuals would have to physically go to a ticket counter or office in order to purchase tickets for an event. This was often time consuming and inconvenient. With the advent of online ticketing, individuals can now browse, compare, select, and buy tickets directly from an internet-connected device at any time of day. For example, rather than driving to a box office to buy concert tickets, a customer can simply log in online, view available seats, and complete the transaction through the ticketing website or app. This makes the ticketing process significantly more accessible.
Convenience
Building upon the accessibility offered by online platforms, online ticketing systems also provide a greater degree of convenience for customers. Instead of being limited to purchasing tickets during regular business hours, online ticketing allows transactions 24/7. This means that customers can buy tickets on their own schedule, even late at night or early in the morning. The platforms also allow customers to purchase tickets from anywhere rather than having to physically travel to a box office location. Whether at home, work, or on the go, as long as a customer has an internet-enabled device, they can complete ticket transactions through the online system. This convenience factor is a major selling point for many consumers.
Broader Selection
In addition to convenience, online ticketing systems give customers access to a much broader selection of tickets. Physical ticket counters or box offices often have a limited quantity of tickets available on-site. However, online ticketing platforms allow inventory to be pooled across a network of box offices and distribution channels. This means that customers will have access to a larger pool of available tickets at any given time when shopping through an online platform. The selection is not limited to what is physically available at a single location. This improves the odds of customers finding their desired tickets.
Special Offers
Online ticketing platforms also provide opportunities for special deals and promotions that would be more difficult to find or take advantage of if customers were limited to buying tickets in person. Online ticketing systems allow companies to easily email promotions and discounts directly to their customer base. Customers can conveniently act upon these special offers from their own device. Ticket companies can also advertise special deals online that incentivize customers to purchase tickets through their sites rather than a competitor. The digital nature of online ticketing allows for dynamic pricing and more targeted marketing.
User Accounts
Most online ticketing platforms also allow customers to set up secure user accounts. These accounts provide useful features that improve the ticketing experience. Accounts allow customer payment information to be stored securely for faster checkout. Accounts also allow customers to view order history, easily access tickets for upcoming events, receive alerts about ticket lotteries or waitlists, and receive personalized promotions. Returning customers can enjoy streamlined convenience thanks to their digital accounts. And customer data and patterns can help ticketing companies improve their services over time.
Mobile Optimization
In recent years, online ticketing platforms have become increasingly mobile optimized. Customers can now search for, purchase, and manage tickets directly from smartphones and tablets in addition to desktop and laptop computers. Mobile sites and apps allow tickets to be purchased and accessed on-the-go. And tickets can often be checked-in to venues directly from a mobile device, eliminating the need to print out paper tickets. Mobile optimization furthers the accessibility and convenience of online ticketing.
Wider Market Reach
From a business perspective, online ticketing systems allow ticketing companies to market events and sell tickets to a much larger geographic area. Whereas a physical box office location may be limited to selling tickets mainly to local customers, online ticketing platforms can extend the visibility and availability of tickets nationally or even globally. This greatly expands the potential customer base and market size. Companies can promote events and tickets on social media, search engines, and advertisements to reach consumers well beyond their local region. Widening market reach is a major benefit of the online model.
Data and Analytics
The digital nature of online ticketing also provides valuable customer data and analytics that are more difficult to capture through in-person sales. Online ticketing platforms can track every step of the customer journey, gaining insights into shopping patterns, preferred ticket locations, price sensitivity, and much more. These insights allow companies to optimize ticket availability, inventory, packaging, marketing and pricing. Data and analytics lead to informed business decisions that maximize sales. And customer data can also be used to improve the overall user experience over time.
Key Features of Online Ticketing Systems
Now that we have outlined some of the core purposes and benefits of online ticketing services, let’s explore some of the key features commonly found on these platforms:
Feature | Description |
---|---|
Event Calendar | Allows customers to browse upcoming events by date and location |
Interactive Seating Chart | Provides a visual representation of the event layout and available seats |
Tiered Pricing | Offers different price levels depending on seat location |
Shopping Cart | Allows ticket selections to be stored in a cart prior to checkout |
Secure Checkout | Provides a safe checkout process using encryption and other security measures |
Order History | Allows customers to view and manage past ticket orders |
Waitlists | Option to join a waitlist for sold out tickets that may later become available |
Alerts | Notifications for special offers, lottery openings, and other ticket opportunities |
Mobile Optimization | Ability to easily browse, order, manage, and scan tickets from a mobile device |
These features all contribute to a streamlined and user-friendly ticket buying process. Customers can efficiently browse event options, select desired tickets, complete purchases, and manage current and past orders. Optimization for mobile creates convenience for on-the-go ticketing. And waiting lists, alerts, and promotions allow customers to potentially access even more ticket opportunities.
Types of Online Ticketing Services
There are a few main types of online ticketing services and platforms:
Primary Market Ticketing Sites
Primary market ticketing sites are the official sources for purchasing tickets directly from the venue or event organizer. Customers are buying tickets directly from the primary seller rather than resellers. Examples include Ticketmaster, AXS, and Etix. Primary market sites offer full price face-value tickets, which come directly from the event’s allotted inventory.
Secondary Marketplaces
Secondary marketplaces are platforms that allow ticket resale between customers. Common examples include StubHub, VividSeats, and SeatGeek. On these sites, customers can re-sell event tickets they purchased from primary markets. Other customers can buy the re-sold tickets. Prices may be above or below face value depending on supply and demand. Secondary markets expand options for buyers.
Travel Sites with Ticketing
Many major travel sites like Expedia and Priceline offer event ticketing alongside their flight, hotel, and other offerings. This allows customers to bundle travel and event tickets in the same place when booking trips. Travel package deals are sometimes offered when combining airfare, lodging, and event tickets on these sites.
Team and Venue Specific Platforms
Some sports teams and concert venues operate their own specialized ticketing sites specific to their organization. Season ticket holders may also have access to special team or venue-specific portals for ticket management and resale. These specialty sites cater to loyal fans of particular teams, shows, or venues.
Consolidator Ticketing Sites
Consolidator websites aggregate ticket inventory from many primary and secondary sources. They aim to provide a wide array of ticket availability from a single platform. Consolidator sites include ScoreBig, TickPick and TicketsNow. Rather than partnering with one specific ticketing company, they compile results from across multiple sites.
The diversity of online ticketing platforms allows customers significant choice in how they can search for and purchase event tickets digitally.
Key Players in Online Ticketing
Below we outline several major companies in the online ticketing industry:
Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster is the largest primary ticket market in the world, serving clients across music, sports, theater, and family entertainment. Owned by Live Nation, Ticketmaster provides ticketing services for over 30,000 events each year. They sell over 485 million tickets annually.
StubHub
Owned by Viagogo, StubHub is the largest online secondary ticket marketplace in the world. Over 10 million live entertainment event tickets are resold annually on StubHub. The site connects ticket buyers and sellers in over 40 countries.
AXS
AXS provides ticketing services for premier venues and sports teams in the U.S. This includes ticketing for top arenas like STAPLES Center and O2 Arena in London. AXS offers secure online and mobile ticketing services optimized for concerts, family shows, and live entertainment events.
SeatGeek
SeatGeek is a major secondary ticket marketplace that uses interactive maps and deal scoring to help customers find the best ticket values. Machine learning algorithms monitor millions of tickets from multiple sources to recommend deals.
Vivid Seats
Vivid Seats is an international secondary ticket marketplace that provides over 12 million tickets per year. They focus on providing a wide selections of tickets for sports, concerts, theater, and other live entertainment events.
Eventbrite
Eventbrite helps small event organizers manage online ticketing and registration. Their self-service platform allows individuals and small businesses to seamlessly create, manage, and sell tickets for their events. Over 3 million events used Eventbrite last year.
Ticket Industry Trends
Some notable trends shaping the online ticketing industry include:
Mobile Ticketing
Mobile ticketing allows customers to buy, store, access, and scan event tickets directly from their smartphones, eliminating the need for printed tickets. Adoption is growing rapidly and most ticketing sites now offer mobile ticketing.
Enhanced Security Features
Ticketing platforms are implementing extra layers of security and fraud prevention including ticket limits, ID checks, digital watermarking, and rotating barcodes. This fights counterfeit tickets and unfair bulk purchases by ticket brokers.
Dynamic and Data-Driven Pricing
Ticketing companies now use customer data, demand forecasting, and machine learning to dynamically adjust event ticket prices in real-time to optimize sales and profit. This goes beyond basic supply-and-demand models.
Paperless Ticketing
Paperless or cashless ticketing environments continue to grow. Customers must present the credit card used to purchase a ticket along with ID to enter events, replacing printed tickets.
Consolidated Platforms
Venues and sports teams are increasingly consolidating ticketing across all events onto integrated platforms for greater customer convenience and data-driven insights.
Greater Personalization
Ticketing sites leverage past purchase data, stated preferences, and CRM data to offer customers more personalized recommendations, packages, and promotions. This drives satisfaction and revenues.
Online ticketing shows no signs of slowing. Factors like mobile adoption, enhanced security, and personalized experiences reveal an industry invested in continuous innovation and improvement.
Conclusion
Online ticketing provides substantial benefits for both businesses and customers. Ticketing companies can reach wider audiences, drive greater sales, and leverage valuable customer data through online platforms. For customers, online ticketing boosts accessibility, convenience, selection, incentives, and organization. Key features like interactive seat maps, accounts, waitlists, and mobile optimization enable streamlined booking. While online ticketing has already transformed the live event industry, emerging trends suggest the platforms will continue advancing through innovations in security, personalization, data analytics, and mobile capabilities. In summary, the purpose of online ticketing systems is to create a feature-rich digital environment that makes purchasing event access easier and more intelligent for all stakeholders.