There are a number of ways a venue can make an impression with potential patrons, and even more ways to track those impressions — from social media shares and tracked links to click-throughs and conversion rates and much more. But, in any business, it can be easy to get lost in the numbers of your digital presence. How many clicks did we get on that post? How many unique views of this web page? How many sales did we make today?

Digital metrics matter, but it’s vital to not lose sight of what makes an individual patron’s online experience a success and how the tools you provide support each patron throughout their online purchasing journey. If you approach your eCommerce experience in the same way you might put together a compelling performance, you can create a truly impactful first impression that will have your patrons counting down the days until they get to engage with you again.

Act 1: Set the Stage With a Rich Array of Offerings

Your patron may arrive at your website with the intention of purchasing a ticket, but that doesn’t mean that’s all they’ll need or want. Ensuring your eCommerce site serves as a one-stop shop for all your venue has to offer will allow your patrons to plan ahead so they can relax and enjoy their visit to your venue. By offering a robust collection of items online to enhance your patron’s visit, you’ll not only increase the likelihood of higher cart values at checkout but also that of happier guests! Allowing them to pre-purchase and reserve various items — such as souvenirs, concessions or parking passes — can help build anticipation and, ultimately, make the on-site experience even more enjoyable.

With all your offerings available online, you can effectively leverage up-sells and cross-sells across a patron’s online purchasing journey and unlock new opportunities to generate revenue. From food and beverage to retail, memberships and subscriptions to VIP access and flex packages, the possibilities are endless! Research from the authors of “Marketing Metrics” shows that the probability of selling to a new prospect is 5–20%, but that probability jumps to 60–70% for existing customers. If a potential patron is on your website, they already have an interest in coming to visit your venue, so make it easy for them to enhance their visit.

With the support of a system designed to step your patrons into a richer experience — like the accesso ShoWare^SM ticketing solution — you can seize the opportunity to deepen relationships and advance patron loyalty, all while generating meaningful revenue for your venue.

Act 2: Immerse Patrons in the Experience

Your eCommerce storefront should feel like an extension of your venue, welcoming patrons with engaging visuals and seamless branding. With the right eCommerce platform — one that serves as a white-label storefront for your unique venue — you can customize every element and detail of your online presence to your heart’s desire.

For example, a performing arts center could take its show descriptions from “simply informative” to “meaningfully engaging” with the inclusion of teaser trailers, video interviews with performers, event sponsor information or an overall tour schedule. Or a sports arena could customize its seat map for an upcoming game with the competing teams’ colors. Consider the role compelling text, visuals and branding can play in showcasing your venue and how these elements can build anticipation for your patrons.

Real-time seat mapping is another great way to heighten anticipation. With the right box office ticketing solution, not only can your patrons get a live look at which seats are available, but they can also check out the actual view from any available seat they select. This empowers patrons to curate the experience they desire at a price that works for them — and may even serve as a decision-making influence for a patron considering investing in a higher value ticket.

Act 3: Skip the Suspense

Nothing is more frustrating than deciding you’re ready to make a purchase and then finding it takes another 15 minutes to click through all the necessary steps to arrive at the “buy” button. Don’t keep your patrons in suspense! The right eCommerce platform can help reduce the number of clicks needed to complete a purchase, allowing patrons to skip right through to the good part.

When it comes to online checkouts, great payment options are key to ensuring the process is smooth and expedient for patrons — and the importance of alternative payment options in closing the sale cannot be understated. Global studies by KPMG and eMarketer found that the availability of diverse payment options influences the shopping behavior of approximately 40% of consumers.

While credit cards remain the most common payment method worldwide, third-party online payment platforms like PayPal® are quickly becoming the preferred route for modern patrons, serving as easy and flexible payment options that can expedite the checkout process tremendously. accesso recently integrated the accesso ShoWare box office ticketing solution with PayPal, and some of our larger client venues have already seen an adoption rate as high as 30%!

With a solution like PayPal integrated with your ticketing system, there’s no need for patrons to have a credit card in hand or to remember a lengthy account number — they simply plug in their username and password to complete the purchase. And with PayPal’s popular “Pay Later” options — such as “Pay in 4” for installment-based payment or “PayPal Credit” for special financing on larger purchases — you can make it easy for patrons to make the jump to a higher value ticket or long-term subscription. In fact, research from PayPal found that users are 64% more likely to make a purchase when provided with attractive, interest-free credit options, and that businesses leveraging pay-over-time offerings see a more than 50% boost in average order value.

The Curtain Close: Delivering Value and Nurturing Connection

The benefits of investing in a stellar online presence extend far beyond the proven ability to heighten sales and revenue. Apply the same showmanship to your eCommerce as you do to your live performances, and both your patrons and operations will reap the benefits.

If you’re seeking a platform that is customizable to your needs and offers in-house control, the accesso ShoWare ticketing solution may be the right fit for you. The accesso ShoWare platform powers ticketing for over 600 venues around the globe — including reserved seat venues like performing arts centers, sports arenas, concert venues, dinner theatres and more.

To learn more about the accesso ShoWare box office ticketing solution, click here to explore how The Lesher Center for the Arts boosted its online channel sales by 29% while reducing box office training time by a whopping 84%. If you’re ready to see how our technology can support your venue, reach out and start the conversation today!

Wendi Yanez is an experienced technology sales professional with over 20 years of experience in the online ticketing software and data management industry. Wendi has been with accesso since 2010 and, as Senior Sales Director, Ticketing, brings a proven record of success in working with clients in a consultative role to implement innovative solutions that drive profitable growth. Wendi has personally managed the accounts of several premier performing arts centers, top fairs and festivals, as well as government-owned facilities.

This article was sponsored by accesso.