Posts filed under ‘Mobile Web’
PayPal seems to be getting serious about ticket sales, amongst other retail possibilities?
I received an email today from PayPal that was interesting and I thought it worth sharing with you.
PayPal is madly developing partnerships left right and centre.
They are trying to steer consumers to buy tickets on their mobile, but importantly using PayPal as a payment method as opposed to using credit card companies to facilitate the transaction.
Given the demographic, not surprisingly, cinema and concerts are the first targets, followed by flowers? 
Read about it online here>> PayPal Mobile Email
It appears they are attempting to position PayPal as different to credit cards as a method of purchase:
“PayPal offers a series of unique security features that ensure your personal and financial details are protected when you shop online, or on your mobile.
- Your financial details are not shared with online stores and sellers
- State of the art anti-fraud tools help prevent fraud before it occurs
- You could be reimbursed in full for any losses from unauthorised transactions <hmmm COULD BE>
- There is protection for eligible purchases in the case they don’t arrive
- The transaction process is completely encrypted to prevent hacking
- There’s no need to key in 16 digit credit cards numbers, simply use your login and password for faster check-out
- No information related to your PayPal account is ever stored on your mobile device, so even if you lose your phone, your credentials won’t be on there.“
30 March, 2011 at 10:22 am Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
Does Facebook & Social Media really fuel ticket sales?
Some interesting stats by way of a case study in Ticketfly: Facebook really does fuel ticket sales
- “In Jan 2011, Ticketfly sold 3.25 tickets for every Facebook share/tweet
- Facebook is Ticketfly’s top referrer at roughly 9% of total traffic“
However, I am not so sure of the liklihood of the following ‘giant killer’ analogy … “San Francisco startup Ticketfly aims to take on concert ticketing giant Ticketmaster. Its main weapon? Social networking.“
On the subject of proof of Facebook and other Social Media to impact ticket sales refer to an earlier FULLHOUSES post Proof: How social media sold a theatre ticket on Facebook
28 February, 2011 at 9:34 am Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
Credit Card Swiping by Smart Phone
square has launched the smallest credit card swipe I have seen. It inserts into the headphone jack of your phone and then you download the free app that process credit card payments right on your phone. Currently, all you do need a U.S. bank account, a social security number, and a street address. My guess is it won’t be long till we see this available in other countries.
While wireless mobile credit card processing machines are not new, this is certainly a simple and cheap alternative. I wonder what is next?
Read full article online How to Accept Credit Card Payments on Your Phone: Just Swipe It
5 January, 2011 at 6:38 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
Mobile Apps – How do you butter your bread on both sides?
Live Nation (owner of Ticketmaster) has just announced that it has launched an iPhone app for the Apple OS. Ticketmaster parent Live Nation drives ticket sales via mobile commerce platform
Live Nation has previouslyl become involved with Apple in providing concert listings for iTunes 10.
But back in 2009, Ticketmaster launched Ticketmaster for Blackberry (albeit described as “a glorified browser shortcut/plugin“) and has since stated that Blackberry is the “Official Smartphone of Ticketmaster“. Although the page on the Ticketmaster site does confuse the issue with the tag line “love seeing it live”
Is this an example of how a monopoly vertically integrated company just tries to ensure that it is all things to all people?
13 December, 2010 at 11:11 am Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
Is it Ticketing Going Viral or are Ticket Company Startups Going Viral?
Another day, another article about a new ticketing option. This is great for innovation, but is it sustainable?
One such new entrant is Amiando with the aim “to harness the cost benefits and reach of the internet, as well as social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter, to offer event organisers on demand invitation management, promotion and attendee registration, as well as integrated billing.“
Ticket sales attract a charge of $0.99 (£0.79) per attendee plus 5.9% of the attendance fee. So on a US$30 ticket that is US$0.99 plus US$1.77 = US$2.76 or 9.2% on a $10 ticket it grows to 15.8% of ticket price. While it compares well for higher priced tickets, it is a pricey option for lower priced tickets like children’s events etc.
However, price may not be the issue … for long. The article then discusses other numerous similar online options like: Etouches, TicketBiscuit and Fatsoma. These are just a few of the options in this rapidly growing area and the common trend in a market as more entrants are attacted is the shift to price competition, with the eventual result of commodity pricing when there is little differentiation left amongst competitors as they compete for market share. It is early days but the accelerated product lifecycle of such Internet offerings makes one wonder how long till these companies are cannibalising each other’s market share? Afterall, a SaaS solution based in the UK available on the Internet can compete just as easily as a service in Australia or Singapore. The barriers of payment gateways and the like are less and less of an issue, particularly with global solutions like PayPal.
The article then discusses the dominant agency model and opportunity that these new players may present.
Neil Saunders, senior analyst with Verdict Research suggests that in comparison to the newer leaner distribution options, ”companies like Ticketmaster don’t really add a significant amount of value.“
However, this ignores one important issue, whether traditional ‘middlemen’ add value or not, when it comes to venues – the agencies like Ticketmaster have venue exclusive ticketing contracts that preclude competition.
Until venue exclusive ticketing contracts or similar handicaps to competition are discouraged, agencies like Ticketmaster will preclude these numerous new ticketing options from moving beyond small venues and events.
With the recent launch of Foxtix in Australia, going head to head with both the current dominant agencies: Ticketmaster and Ticketek, one has to wonder how much money Rupert Murdoch is prepared to throw into the bidding war to assert control with exclusive ticketing contracts. I suspect the result will be a leap in the quantum of ‘key money’, and unfortunately reducing the options for a change in these contracts that maintain the current duopoly. But is there room for three agencies in Australia? Time will tell.
1 November, 2010 at 10:10 am Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 2 comments
Which way are you leaning – Mobile Web or an App?
Technology in the Arts has an interesting post as part of the Arts Marketing Blog Salon hosted by Americans for the Arts on the topic of whether arts organisations should be developing mobile websites or mobile applications to take advantage of the explosive growth in mobile device use for Internet access.
There are two posts referrred to:
- Technology in the Arts on Facebook – Going Mobile – Websites vs Apps
- ARTSBlog - Going Mobile: Website vs. App
Dave Dombrowsky offers some valid points to consider:
- User base: Mobile phone penetration is approaching 100%, BUT 62% of mobiles can not download mobile apps.
- Connectivity: Mobile websites require a live Internet connection, many mobile apps do not.
- Platforms: Mobile websites are accessible from all types of mobile devices, Mobile apps are device specific.
- Price: Mobile websites are cheaper to build than mobile apps.
- Expectations: It all depends on what do your patrons want from a mobile experience?
I would suggest adding another consideration:
Does your organisation wish to facilitate customer transactions i.e. sell tickets etc.?
It appears that the Mobile Web fits the bill for commerce sites better as it is always online and ubiquitous and supports open payment methods.
According to the Taptu report ‘The State of the Mobile Touch Web’, “19% of the mobile sites measured were Shopping & Services sites; compared to 3.6% in the same category in the App Store.“
Read the FULL HOUSES post on this topic back in March – Will the iPhone and App be replaced by the more open Mobile Touch Web?
13 October, 2010 at 3:11 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
RIP wallets, long live the mobile
“the days of the plastic credit card are numbered” – Dr Hugh Bradlow, Chief Technology Officer, Telstra.
At an Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) panel he has suggested that the “mobile phone is rapidly turning into our wallet and our keys with technology like near-field communication,“
RIP wallets, long live the phone
This appears in keeping with trends we have been noticing and commenting on as below:
- How your phone becomes your membership ID
- Apple Adds to Future Ticketing Potential of the iPhone
- Mobile Internet is Ramping Up Much Faster than Desktop Internet Did!
It just seems to be a matter of when …
8 October, 2010 at 11:45 am Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 1 comment
This is your mobile ticket
We have heard of a fair few different mobile ticket options now using different methodologies from 2D to 3D and so-on.
What I find really interesting is how many are coming into the market and the best bit of all is that they are all adding their own unique features. From that will spring all sorts of unique innovation!
By way of example, I was intrigued by some fatures that San Francisco start-up MogoTix offers:
“The system can let multiple organizers see who’s checked in, broadcast the names of guests as they arrive and send out alerts to guests a few hours before the event.“
These sort of things may not appeal to everyone, but I love the fresh thinking and the application of the technology in new ways.
In actual fact, announcing guests “on arrival at the Ball” may have been around for centuries, but who is to say that in a social media world with its ever connected constituents that this may be as relevant today to Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters as to … the court in other fairytales like Cinderella?
Sending out alerts to guests a few hours before the event, why stop there? Send them out warnings about car park capacity, or a special offer at the in-house bar or restaurant or a special deal after the show and so-on. I know that some organisations have requested functionality to warn subscribers so they don’t forget that they have seats for a show the following week. Maybe the secret of good service is timely, relevant communication, whatever the medium.
24 September, 2010 at 5:28 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 1 comment
iTunes teams up with Live Nation/Ticketmaster
Thanks to Karl Vosper in the UK for pointing out this story.
Live Nation and Ticketmaster have jointly announced that they will be powering the Concert Listings feature in iTunes 10. However, there is no confirmation from Apple that there will be any ability to buy tickets as well!
Robin Wauters questioned this on TechCrunch in Live Nation To Power Concert Listings, Ticket Sales In iTunes 10
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think CEO Steve Jobs
left that part out of his keynote, although the official press release does mention Live Nation briefly, indicating only that the company will be providing tour info for Concert pages.“
FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT Live Nation Statement on Apple iTunes® Concert Information
Like this:
7 September, 2010 at 10:10 am Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 1 comment
In Mobile Payments, It’s PayPal 2, Google 0
Even more talk about turning your phone or mobile device into a payment system, or electronic wallet. It looks like the mobile commerce area will be the next big thing, very soon!
I am not so sure about the discussions regarding cheques, but there is plenty more to watch in the competition between PayPal and Google. Nothing like a bit of competition to spur innovation.
I am intrigued that Google is heading down the device specific path with the Checkout payment system for its Android phones. Surely one thing we have learnt by now is the importance of openess and ubiquity, maybe not, it seems the pursuit of competitive advantage and domination overcomes such logic each time.
Although there is “rumored talks between PayPal and Google to make PayPal a payment option for buying apps on Google’s Android phones. PayPal is the payment system behind Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry App World and is an option for buying apps on Apple’s iPhone.“
One to watch for the nfp sector - PayPal, a unit of eBay Inc., will add a charitable-donation feature to its app for Apple Inc. iPhones
READ FULL ARTICLE ONLINE In Mobile Payments, It’s PayPal 2, Google 0
30 August, 2010 at 10:05 am Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
