LONDON, May 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Ticketmaster UK, a Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: LYV) company, today announced the continued success of its e-commerce initiative to extend merchandise ‘add to order’ and new basket functionality on Ticketmaster.co.uk, the UK’s leading destination for live entertainment tickets.
As part of the latest redesign and improvements to Ticketmaster.co.uk, we have successfully been working with event organisers, venues and artists to sell more than just tickets for their events. We are enabling our clients to additionally sell non-ticket merchandise items such as: music, DVD’s, books, catalogues and programmes alongside tickets. Our customers are shown the various merchandise options available to them while selecting tickets and can then add the merchandise to their purchase, paying for everything in a single transaction.
A code based redemption system streamlines the fulfilment process and enables us to work with any retail or fulfilment partner. After the purchase has been made an email is sent to the customer with a unique code and website address to launch and redeem the product direct from an in-house or third party store.
The full potential of this incremental offering to fans was realised when tickets went on sale exclusively through Ticketmaster UK for this year’s T4 On The Beach. Fans attending the event were given the option to purchase exclusive merchandise with their ticket, a branded T4 Beach Bag and T-Shirt, which is delivered to them before the event. This means fans do not need to queue when they arrive to collect their items and also reduces the resources needed by the event organisers on the day. The online purchasing process is seamlessly combined, allowing customers to simply add the additional items to their ticket order and then pay for everything in a single transaction. Items can be made available for customers as an ‘add to basket’ option or ‘bundled’ together with the initial ticket selection.
“Working with Ticketmaster has given us the ability to make exclusive merchandise available to our T4 On The Beach fans at the same time as they buy their tickets and we have seen an incredibly high uptake on this option”, said Rebecca Turner, Consumer Brands Manager, Channel 4. “It was important to us that the process was simple and easy to use for the fan and Ticketmaster has definitely delivered.”
This opportunity is not restricted to music concerts and we are extending this initiative with our clients across the live entertainment sector. For example, working with Disney’s The Lion King at London‘s Lyceum Theatre, Ticketmaster has helped customers purchase merchandise before they arrive at the venue. Customers can purchase items including a special edition CD and souvenir brochure with their event ticket and then collect it at the venue on the night using Ticketmaster TicketFast tickets which are then scanned at the merchandise stand. The process is entirely seamless from start to finish, ensuring a smooth consumer experience.
Chris Edmonds, Managing Director Ticketmaster UK, said: “Ticketmaster.co.uk is already the most popular destination for live entertainment tickets, but our clients want to be able to offer their consumers more than just a ticket to events and by working with us they can now package their tickets with a wide variety of extra event or artist related items. The consumer benefits from a fully integrated purchasing process and can often get their hands on some exclusive merchandise. This is the latest in a number of important e-commerce initiatives that we intend to deliver to benefit our clients and consumers alike”.
About Ticketmaster:
With operations spanning 19 countries, Ticketmaster is the world leader in event ticketing and ranks among the top five eCommerce sites globally. Ticketmaster is a division of Live Nation Entertainment. Live Nation Entertainment is the world’s leading live entertainment and eCommerce company, comprised of four market leaders: Ticketmaster.com, Live Nation Concerts, Front Line Management Group and Live Nation Network. Ticketmaster.com is the global event ticketing leader and one of the world’s top five eCommerce sites, with over 26 million monthly unique visitors. Live Nation Concerts produces over 20,000 shows annually for more than 2,000 artists globally. Front Line is the world’s top artist management company, representing over 250 artists. These businesses power Live Nation Network, the leading provider of entertainment marketing solutions, enabling over 800 advertisers to tap into the 200 million consumers Live Nation delivers annually through its live event and digital platforms. For additional information, visit www.livenation.com/investors.