Selling tickets to your events with e-commerce sites (such as PayPal or Amazon Payments) can be a secure way to process transactions online.
However, you could take advantage of a system that gives you useful options like ticket barcodes and scanning, while still providing benefits you’re accustomed to, such as security and payment in advance. You’ll also be able to give your ticket buyers a convenient purchasing process that doesn’t require them to log in or create an account.
Using an event ticketing system allows you to have more control over your tickets, events, and sales data, as you easily create event pages without building entire pages on your website. See how e-commerce sites stack up against a system designed for event ticketing, when it comes to selling event tickets online:
Receipts aren’t tickets: When you use e-commerce, you’re not actually selling tickets — you’re giving your customers receipts that they can present at the door. But what’s the difference?
The barcodes on print-at-home and mobile tickets can be scanned at the door to prevent frauds and duplicates, while keeping the convenience for your ticket buyers. You can even use free ticket scanning apps for smartphones, so you’ll be able to speed up your lines without sinking a bunch of money into expensive hardware.
Secure transactions: E-commerce sites are built for credit card transactions, and over time, people have developed a level of confidence in the security of these sites. Legitimate ticketing systems, however, meet all of the same PCI compliance standards, which means that your customers’ data is always protected.
Advance payment: Sites like PayPal are convenient because of their instant transaction processing: you receive a payment when a customer sends it — although you’ll still need to wait a few days to transfer funds from your PayPal to your bank account.
Event ticketing can offer similar solutions for making sure you get your payment when you need it. Established, well-qualified event organizers can set up weekly payments in advance, or if you use your own merchant account, you can integrate the system to collect payments as they happen.
Reporting, customer and sales data: You can browse your transaction reports in PayPal, but ticketing systems can export detailed records of your settlements, tickets sold, customer data, social media activity…
And you’ll always be able to export the data for your internal use. You won’t need to manually enter and maintain your data if you start using a system that automatically records it for you.
Fees: Sure, your basic PayPal account does not require any additional fees on top of credit card processing, but in exchange, you get limited capability for selling tickets. Event ticketing systems often require a low per ticket fee, but in exchange, you’ll receive the ability to actually manage your events and store your data in one place.
When using an event ticketing system, you are in control. It is easier on your customers, as well as the overall business for your event. With a ticketing system, you are making the most of your event with easy admission, secure payments, detailed reporting, and more.
ShowClix offers reliable event ticketing for events and venues of all types and sizes. If you’re looking to start selling tickets, ShowClix can help you set up your events today.