Amazon Targets Ticket Selling Sites With New Service

Monday, August 14, 2017 - 17:22 by Sarah Collinson

Although there are already plenty of places for the gig-going public to buy tickets to the next big show via safe shopping online, Amazon currently has a relatively limited offering in this segment of the market, especially in its native US.

Sources quoted by Reuters suggest that this could all change in the near future, at least for consumers on the other side of the pond. Brits are currently able to pick up theatre tickets through Amazon’s site, but the proposition to expand this to other types of events is now on the table.

In fact, the suggestion is that Amazon will be partnering with current market leader Ticketmaster, which could be good news for customers as the usual booking fees may be reduced if this deal goes ahead.

Of course, it is also likely that gig tickets will be sold primarily through Prime, the e-commerce giant’s subscription-based service. That means casual customers looking to nab a seat for their favourite band or festival may not be in luck.

There are other motivations behind this move aside from the obvious potential to generate even more cash, as Amazon could give benefits to the venues hosting the events themselves. Crucially it will be able to provide information about the kinds of habits that are exhibited by customers who are interested in specific events, although this is an area of apparent conflict in its negotiations with Ticketmaster.

If Amazon is to bulk out its ticket offerings that are available via safe shopping online, then it would be yet another area in which it will have the ability to kick out incumbents and set up its own intimidating stall. This could mean lower prices for consumers, at the cost of yet more personal data being shared around with third parties.