Online ticketing
Purchasing tickets online has been possible since as early as the 1990s but in recent years, the percentage of audience members preferring digital tickets has far overtaken those wanting a physical version.
Selecting a box office system
The majority of the time an organisation will already have a box office system, such as Spektrix or Tessitura, in place when they appoint a digital agency to deliver an online ticketing purchasing experience.
However, there will always be a point when a decision is made as to what system to opt for. If an organisation is new to ticketing or is upgrading their internal systems, for instance.
While it’s important to make the right decision based on value versus cost, consideration should also be made for how straightforward it is to start selling tickets online.
To avoid selecting a system that is difficult to work with, and therefore costs more to integrate, consider involving a digital consultant in the purchasing process. The advice you get from them could be invaluable.
Creating the journey
Out-of-the-box vs Bespoke
Many systems come with some form of out-of-the-box ticketing journey that can simply be linked to or embedded on a website. Additionally, the large majority of systems also have some form of API, an interface that allows a programmatic connection between two systems (in this case a box office system and a website).
The more budget-friendly option is always to opt for the out-of-the-box experience, and it is often the approach we suggest, but there are times when a bespoke purchasing journey, developed through an API integration, is the preferable option. For instance:
- if your organisation wants to customise the checkout process
- if ticket sales are critical to your organisation and you need to guarantee near 100% uptime
- if your organisation wants to use a different payment system or integrate with a third system in some way
Usability matters
Another very good reason for considering a bespoke purchasing journey is the level of control your digital agency will have over the user experience.
Out-of-the-box ticketing experiences are good enough to make purchasing a ticket possible for most users, but the conversion rate for well-designed and intuitive journeys is always much higher.
If a user has been persuaded to click or tap the “Book” button, it’s the purchasing journey that will help them complete the process or give up.
So, if your organisation is selling a high volume of tickets, user experience gains can quickly translate to improved conversion rates and more income.
