Ticketmaster to commence direct ticket sales via Facebook

Global ticketing agency Ticketmaster is to start selling event tickets directly on Facebook by the end of April, joining the growing number of companies placing core parts of their businesses inside the social media’s interface.

Seeing that their customers are spending less time on websites and more within a handful of mobile apps, with Facebook often the top destination, Ticketmaster would appear to be prepared to sell their tickets directly through Facebook.

Dan Armstrong, Ticketmaster Vice President and General Manager of Distributed Commerce told BuzzFeed News in an interview “by putting the ability to buy tickets directly within Facebook we hope that we’re going to provide a more seamless purchase experience and sell more tickets.”

The amount of time the top mobile apps command from those who use them is staggering.

New figure show that 84% of all time spent in non-native apps on mobile devices is spent within just five apps, placing Facebook as a channel for all types of business to reach their customers and audiences.

To date, Facebook’s willingness to bring other businesses inside its walls has largely been limited to its main app which hosts publisher content via its quick-loading Instant Articles product (of which BuzzFeed is a partner).

However, the company is also experimenting with online shops built into its ‘pages’ and, with Ticketmaster, it is extending its reach to event ticketing as well.

Outside of its main app, Facebook is experimenting with a similar strategy for Messenger, where users can now request an Uber or Lyft from within Messenger, check in to a flight with certain airlines, or make retail purchases

Tickets can also be bought through Facebook Messenger’s experimental virtual assistant M, which will send you images of tickets before an event upon request.

Adding Ticketmaster products to support that feature - or spinning it off in a Ticketmaster chat account – would appear to be a potential next move.

The Ticketmaster/Facebook interface will see the social network collect a standard affiliate fee from Ticketmaster when someone purchases a Ticketmaster ticket via Facebook, the social network will collect a standard affiliate fee from Ticketmaster. Therafter, while Ticketmaster purchases occur on Facebook, tickets must be ‘claimed’ via TIcketmaster’s website and app.

At launch, the ‘Buy-on-Facebook’ option will be limited to a select group of general admission events but is expected to expand shortly thereafter.

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