The beauty of theatre is that it is never a one-size-fits-all experience. Whether you’re a patron, director, actor, or part of the crew, you’ll walk away from a piece of theatre with your own unique interpretations and insights. The same can – and should be – said for the ticketing portion of the theatrical process. After all, creating tailored experiences for your patrons is paramount, and it can all start at the box office.
You may be thinking: How can I personalize the ticket-buying experience? Don’t I want patrons to use my ticketing portal, purchase what they need, and leave? Well, yes, the end goal is to sell more tickets. But if you could enhance even this seemingly mundane part of the theatrical process, wouldn’t you want to?
On The Stage presents the benefits of a personalized ticketing experience, plus a few ways to do so.
Let’s face it – most people don’t look forward to sitting in a virtual queue to pay money – many dread buying tickets, as it’s typically boring and costly. But with a few hacks, you can make the experience more dynamic.
Study the data on your demographics and patron profiles, and personalize their ticketing experiences. This can ensure they enjoy – or at least don’t loathe – the entire procedure. If the arduous process of making a ticket purchase is even slightly more dynamic and exciting, patrons will avoid it less, leading to more repeat ticket buyers.
Drumming up organic buzz for your next production can be challenging. You can deploy all the marketing strategies in the world, but nothing feels quite as satisfying as the buzz of word of mouth.
By building tailored experiences right from the start, your patrons are far more likely to discuss the upcoming show with their friends. This creates an excellent first impression and anticipation for your production, leading to more online and in-person discourse. This positive outlook on your theatre will also (hopefully) carry into their opinions on opening night.
We all want to feel seen, right? And you may not think your box office is where you can validate your patrons, but you can!
By offering personalized content at the box office and making the experience more effective, your patrons will feel you truly know and understand them. When you foster a feeling of mutual respect, patrons are far more likely to become and remain loyal to you. This can translate into more donations, more season ticket subscriptions, and more general support for your theatre.
So, we’ve determined that tailored experiences at the box office make a great first impression, create buzz, and build loyalty. But how can you get there? On The Stage offers a few tips.
Presenting unique offers and upgrades within your box office is an excellent way to personalize the ticket-buying experience for your patrons and increase your average order value.
By partnering with On The Stage, you can set conditions to prompt the patron at checkout to purchase an additional item or upgrade their tickets. OTS’ Upgrade feature works hand-in-hand with our Ticket Types and allows you to create a prompt within the purchase flow to upgrade the ticket type before final checkout.
This can allow you more ways to increase your AOV and help create memorable experiences for your patrons, leading them to return time and time again.
You may be wondering: What the heck is a filtered booking flow? This concept refers to a customized and optimized pathway patrons follow when purchasing tickets for specific events or offerings.
Unlike a standard booking flow that presents the same options to all users, regardless of their preferences, ticket buying history, or unique needs, a filtered booking flow tailors the user experience based on predetermined filters. So, by utilizing filtered booking flows, you’re optimizing the purchasing journey for your patron – which in turn helps you drive sales and revenue growth. Win-win!
The perks of add-ons can’t be overstated. You’re enhancing your overall patron experience and maximizing your profits—all without increasing ticket prices!
With the OTS Add-on feature, you can provide your patrons with any supplemental offering outside your standard ticket right within the purchase process. This helps to make you money, of course, but add-ons are also a great way to engage with your patrons. Whether your add-ons help with your venue efficiency—like prime parking access, early seating, or tempting concession packages—or revolve around exclusive experiences like cast meet-and-greets, you really can’t lose by employing them at your box office.
If you’re looking for more ways to generate incremental revenue for your theatre while personalizing the ticket-buying experience for your patrons, adding merchandise prompts at the box office is a great option.
By selling merchandise at checkout, you’re increasing your Average Order Value yet again while creating an army of walking billboards in your community that will market your theatre with little to no effort.
If one of your goals for the season is to reach a wider audience and offer greater accessibility to your community and beyond, promoting digital performances and streaming capabilities within your ticketing portal is a great way to achieve that goal.
Digital performances, whether a standalone option or combined with an in-person event, provide a new way for your audience to support your program wherever they are. This broadens your scope, allows for an endless audience cap, and generates new revenue streams for your theatre.
Maximizing the dollars coming into your organization is essential to keep making great art for years to come. Creating tailored experiences around ticketing not only ensures increased revenue but also brings patrons back time and time again. On The Stage (OTS) is the perfect partner in your efforts to accelerate your revenue and tailor your offerings to your patrons’ unique wants and needs.
In addition to a robust Booking and Box Office Suite suite, OTS offers revenue-accelerating tools to empower you to generate more revenue per patron and increase your customer lifetime value while providing a well-rounded and memorable theatrical experience.
If you’re ready to increase your theatre’s revenue and enhance the patrons’ theatre experience, partner with OTS. Book a personalized demo today.