Brief:

• Mobile-focused ticket platform SeatGeek partnered with Snapchat to let fans purchase live event tickets directly within the image-messaging app, the company announced in a press release. The integration is the first ticket buying experience in the Snapchat app and one of the first e-commerce offerings within the mobile messaging and discovery service, according to a press release.
• The Los Angeles Football Club is the first team to sell tickets through the new partnership. The soccer team posted tickets for a May 26 match against D.C. United on its Snapchat Story, as well as through a Snapcode on its website.
• The integration will also let athletes and performers sell tickets directly to their fans with the tool. Boxer Errol Spence Jr. is scheduled to post tickets in his Snapchat Story for an upcoming bout at the Dallas Cowboys-owned Ford Center. In the coming months, SeatGeek and Snapchat plan to work together to offer tickets to more events.

Insight:

SeatGeek's partnership with Snapchat is another sign that mobile devices are on their way to becoming the predominant ticketing platform. Mobile and wearable device ticket purchases this year are forecast to reach 14 billion globally to make up 54% of total digital ticket sales for transportation and events, Juniper Research said in a report. More than 1.8 billion people will use digital ticketing by 2020, with mobile near-field communication (NFC) totaling 215 million unique users, Juniper estimates. Metro, bus and airline app ticketing are the most common among mobile consumers, followed by events ticketing, signaling the potential success of the recent SeatGeek partnership with the popular social media platform.

Snapchat has been testing in-app purchases since February, when the platform launched its own merchandise store. Parent company Snap has also reportedly tested its in-app purchase feature with a handful of publisher channels on Discover, per Digiday. Movie-ticketing company Fandango is adding purchases on a variety of budding platforms. The company last month added a "Buy Tickets" button to its Instagram profile to streamline its mobile ticket-ordering system and reduce the number of inquiries businesses receive via direct message. Fandango also partnered with Google in May to let consumers buy movie tickets with voice commands using Google Assistant, as film studios, sports teams and airlines seek ways to enhance the experience for mobile ticketing.

Ticketing companies are embracing mobile tech in a variety of ways. StubHub, the ticket marketplace owned by eBay, added an augmented reality (AR) feature to the iOS version of its StubHub app for Super Bowl 2018 ticket buyers. The iPhone app's "immersive view" showed a 3D rendering of the game venue in Minneapolis, as well as information and wayfinding tools.