Posts filed under ‘Paperless’
Will Apple still influence ticketing?
Back in April last year FULL HOUSES floated the possibility that ‘Apple is patently on the move into ticketing‘ and this was followed by ‘Apple Adds to Future Ticketing Potential of the iPhone‘.
It appears that NFC did not make it to the very recent iPhone 4S, but there is always the much vaunted iPhone 5 … stay tuned.
With the explosion in the adoption of mobile devices and mobile online access, enhancements like this can only be a matter of time.
Another proprietary interest trying to control ticketing or corral a section of the market is not desirable at this stage, however the groundbreaking innovation that Apple was reknowned for under Jobs may be just what the doctor ordered.
8 October, 2011 at 2:00 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 1 comment
VISA throws its weight behind NFC contactless payments, but will Apple?
It appears that Apple is still vacillating on whether iPhone 5 will handle NFC. Although some blaggards have already hacked iPhone 4 to enable NFC, bless ‘em.
But fear not – VISA has entered the frey. Although the initiative is not entirely altruistic and carries some bad news for merchants with respect to bearing the cost of fraud (rather than the card company).
Nonetheless, this will definitely facilitate the move online with transactions keeping pace seamlessly.
If Apple don’t deliver with the iPhone – we can be sure that other alternatives will. Stay tuned!
Visa lays out aggressive plan for mobile payment push
11 August, 2011 at 5:55 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
CASE STUDY: Ticketing on your mobile
An entry in the 2011 Australian Mobile Awards in the Online Shoping & Payments category – Ticketing on your mobile with Moshtix.
There are a variety of notable elements in this implementation:
- Mobile optimised site – not an app.
- Ticket delivery via a mobile barcode allowing scanning direct on the phone – no paper ticket or physical fulfillment
- PayPal integration
- After purchase ticket buyers receive an SMS linking to their mobile barcode ticket
- Integration with Google Maps
- Social sharing of events through Facebook and Twitter
- Forwarding of tickets to friends from the same mobile
9 August, 2011 at 6:27 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
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
We believe that we own the tickets we buy, but do we?
I have been watching this movement with interest since the start of the year.
The Fan Freedom Project rails against the “new restrictive paperless ticketing technologies under the guise of innovation and convenience.“
It is the terms and conditions that are now being applied to paperless tickets that the Fan Freedom Project sees as restrictive:
Two types of paperless ticketing, both of which have negative implications for fans of live events:
- Restricted transfer (closed-loop system administered by the ticket agent)
- Prohibition of ticket transfer (ticket tied to one credit card or ID)
While I applaud the sentiment and the call to action for change, I am not so sure about the statement – “We the fans believe we own the tickets we buy.” My understanding is that a ticket is just a licence to attend an event at a specific location, date and time (and maybe seating location). Does the consumer really own it and own what? Any opinions?
Take a look at the infographic for a quick summary of the issues.
1 March, 2011 at 1:06 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 1 comment
Convenience Fees – convenient for whom and for what?
I am mystified by Cirque du Soleil charging fees on top of ticket prices.
On the website it states “Convenience fees and Delivery fees apply“. One does have to 
ask why?!
Cirque du Soleil own the show, they own the venue (the tent) and they have their own ticketing system. So why are the prices not all in?
Is it that it purely convention (courtesy of Fred Rosen and Ticketmaster in the 70′s & 80′s) to fleece the consumer with added outside charges?
I would have thought a company reknowned for innovation like Cirque du Soleil (even OutBox is described as a “ground-breaking platform“) would have taken the opportunity to innovate in pricing, let alone break some new ground with customer service.
As mentioned previously in A not so well kept secret has been let ‘out the box’, Fred Rosen the CEO of Outbox used to be CEO of Ticketmaster.
Fred Rosen has stated “Simply put, there is no longer a need for a middle man in this business“, but why is there still a ‘need’ for archaic opportunistic price gouging with additional fees that are of “convenience” to the middle man the ticket seller?
By way of example, looking at the Cirque du Soleil show OVO in Frisco (Dallas Area), TX
If you buy 2 seats near the front that is US$125.00 each. That totals, US$250.00 BUT on top of that is $32 fees!
This comprises 2 x “Convenience Fees” @ US$13.50 = US$27.00
Then “Delivery Fees” on top of that e-Ticket add US$5.00 and for Will Call add US$7.00
That is 12.8% added on top.
You will be pleased to know that taxes are included!
Read more about Cirque du Soleil, AEG and Outbox – AEG, Cirque du Soleil and Jean-Francoys Brousseau-owned Outbox Technology and Fredric D. Rosen to Form Joint Venture to Provide Electronic Ticketing Solutions
8 February, 2011 at 1:12 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 4 comments
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
Role of agencies diminishes as online matures?
Yeah alright, the article below is about travel.
Role of travel agencies diminishes as online travel matures
However, it does raise some interesting points that are relevant considerations for entertainment ticketing online.
“…travel agents may well have to find other innovative ways to be of some value to travellers. However, in a country where a culture of full service prevails, the role of agencies is not expected to dissipate any time soon.“ The same can not be said of ticket agency outlets with the rapid adoption of online ticketing for entertainment and sport, even with the cheeky charges for to serve yourself and even print the ticket yourself.
“Online bookings can yield up to seven per cent savings and are alluring to price sensitive customers.” It is a shame the same does not apply for entertainment and sport bookings online. Afterall it is ‘self service’.
It is an interesting prespective that online booking reduces costs for merchant and consumer and facilitates”… dynamic pricing, a practice for which the airline industry is notorious … allows consumers to balance their own ticket features and pricing.“
5 November, 2010 at 4:50 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 1 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
