Why sell tickets online?
The Internet has dramatically changed how most products are sold, especially information-based, non-bulky products and those you don’t need to see before making a purchasing decision.
So these days, most people assume that tickets for theatres, shows, or other arts related events in particular are available for purchase online, ideally from the organization’s own website.
But it's not just about making it easier for your customers to purchase tickets. With an internet based ticketing system, you can expect increased sales and attendance, increased efficiency, profits, patron satisfaction and reduced costs.
Let’s look at these benefits in more detail.
A box office that never closes
Whilst a web site is a great way of promoting your organization, you're undoubtedly losing customers if they can't purchase tickets whilst visiting your site. Very often they'll make a decision about attending an event the minute they read your program description… so it must be as easy as possible to purchase tickets right at that moment. If you force them to wait until the next day to call your box office, then they could change their mind, forget or find another way to spend their money.
Eliminates excessive booking fees charged by ticketing services
Customers and venue operators alike are becoming fed up with the large booking fees charged by middlemen. With your own online ticketing system, you can shift the power away from the portal operators, take back control of your ticket sales and pricing and develop better relationships with your customers.
Let's your patrons choose the exact seats they want from an online seating map
With the best online ticketing systems, customers can access a fully interactive seating chart in real time and choose the exact seats they want with just a click of a mouse.
When choosing an online ticketing system, ideally you want one that:
- displays the full auditorium or each section separately
- uses color coding to show available seats, unsold seats, and special price seats
- allows simple point and click seat selection
- provides a hover function showing seat and row number and ticket price
- has interactive seat selection technology compatible with most browsers (Java systems are generally less compatible)
- provides zooming and scrolling functions for accurate seat selection
- is seamlessly integrated into your own web site
Saves time, reduces workload
An Internet-based ticketing system greatly reduces the time you spend answering phone calls, correspondence and other ticket related matters ... a huge benefit if you are a non-profit or volunteer run organization But although the personal contact with your customers may be reduced, you can still give them an enhanced level of customer service... offering them the option of printing an e-ticket online, printing a voucher to exchange at the box office or requesting tickets to be posted.
Access your Box Office from anywhere in the world
With the best internet based box office systems, you can access the full functionality of your box office system from anywhere in the world. Sell tickets and handle all administrative tasks, just the same as if you were sitting at a local terminal.
If you are a small organization, and especially if you rely on a handful of volunteers, you’ll appreciate how this can spread the workload.
Enable resellers to sell tickets from any location
Give permission to your resellers or your own personnel in remote locations to operate as box office terminals. Resellers simply log on to your system via their PC and internet connection and use your ticketing application to sell tickets the same as if they were sitting at a local box office terminal.
Increases “Brand” awareness
More people visiting your site to purchase tickets means more referrals and more awareness of your organization. And displaying your URL on all publicity materials (brochures, posters, print media etc) as the place to buy tickets, is much more effective than simply quoting a contact phone number.
Builds Customer loyalty
Your own web site is your customer‘s primary choice when looking for event schedules or ticket availability. People assume your website contains the most up to date information and the best deals. Serving your patrons well by a website that’s not only informative, but allows them to buy tickets online, is a great way to build loyalty. And your web site is by far your lowest cost sales channel, plus the one with the highest return.
Talk to us today and find out how easy it is to set up your own online ticketing system.
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