Snapchat users can now purchase tickets to sports games and concerts directly through the app.
SeatGeek has teamed up with Snap Inc. to enable direct sales to live events through the ephemeral social media app. Snapchat began testing native e-commerce features in February, and the secondary ticket exchange launched its integration last month starting with the Los Angeles Football Club.
The MLS team became the first sports team to sell tickets through the SeatGeak integration on Snapchat, posting ticket buying opportunities for its May 26 match against D.C. United via the team’s Snapchat Story and through a Snapcode on its website. Additional teams and venues are expected to begin selling game and concert tickets in the coming months.
The SeatGeek partnership is one of the first e-commerce offerings on Snapchat, as the app works to integrate more buying experiences within its mobile messaging and discovery services. Earlier this year, Snapchat proved there was appetite for such a service when it sold out of unreleased Air Jordan III Tinker sneakers in minutes via promotion from a life-size Michael Jordan augmented-reality lens.
“Selling tickets through Snapchat is a massive opportunity to reach fans in a new way,” said Doug Dawson, vice president of ticket sales for the Dallas Cowboys, in a statement.
The Cowboys, Dawson said, are working with musical performers that come through the team’s venues to put tickets in front of their Snapchat followers.
The integration will also allow athletes and performers to sell tickets directly to fans through the platform. Champion boxer Errol Spence Jr., for example, is set to post tickets to his Snapchat Story for an upcoming bout at the Dallas Cowboys-owned Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
“We’re stoked to partner with Snap to bring ticket buying to Snapchat for the first time,” said SeatGeek co-founder Russ D’Souza. “SeatGeek’s mission is to get fans to more live events. We see Snapchat as an incredible opportunity for teams and artists to increase discovery of their events, while also potentially rewarding their most dedicated fans with exclusive offers.”
Users presented with a buying opportunity through Snapchat Stories can simply swipe up, select their tickets, and checkout within the Snapchat app.
SportTechie Takeaway
The SeatGeek-Snapchat integration marks yet another innovation in the realm of mobile ticketing. Sports teams and venues are increasingly working to reach fans where they spend the vast majority of their time: on their mobile devices.
By putting ticket sales directly in front of fans, the hope is that dedicated users and super fans (those who follow teams and athletes on Snapchat, a more intimate, behind-the-scenes forum), will encourage more people to attend live games in person.
Snapchat also tends to tilt younger in terms of its user base, which is a key demographic many teams are hoping to target through mobile ticketing.